Food Authenticity Seminar Series: Assessing the Authenticity of Grated Grana Padano PDO Cheese
Foods bearing a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) under European Union legislation are appreciated by consumers worldwide for their distinct sensorial attributes. Grana Padano PDO cheese is made in a restricted geographical area and observing rigorous specifications. The cheese ripens for a minimum 9-month period during which proteolysis proceeds throughout highly repeatable pathways, leading to characteristic peptide and free amino acid profiles in the mature cheese. Consistently, analytical methods have been developed to recognize authentic Grana Padano from closely related cheese varieties, to calculate the actual cheese age and to detect excess rind in grated cheese. These methods are currently used by “Consorzio Grana Padano” within its quality control scheme for Grana Padano on the market.
The Virtual Seminar Series on Food Authenticity is organized by researchers and students at McGill and the University of Guelph.
The event is virtual and will take place over Zoom.
About the speakers
Dr. Luisa Pellegrino
Dr. Luisa Pellegrino graduated in Agricultural Sciences at the State University of Milan in 1981 and joined the Italian National Research Council in 1983. Today, Dr. Pellegrino is a professor in Dairy Science and Technology at the Department of Food, Environmental and Nutritional Sciences. Her research mainly focuses on technological, biochemical, structural and quality issues in milk and dairy products.
Dr. Paolo D’Incecco
Dr. Paolo D’Incecco is a researcher in Dairy Science and Technology at the Department of Food, Environmental, and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Milan. He obtained his PhD in Food Systems from the State University of Milan in 2016. Dr D'Incecco has developed significant expertise in food ultrastructural investigation using advanced scientific approaches. Currently, his research activity is dedicated to studying the effects of light exposure of milk during shelf storage and investigating strategies to upcycle components of dairy byproducts.