Effect of Supplementation of Herd Diet with Olive Cake on the Composition Profile of Milk and on the Composition, Quality and Sensory Profile of Cheeses Made Therefrom

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Replacing conventional feed with waste biomass produced by crop-industrial processes can be a good practice for the sustainability of crop-livestock systems and an interesting solution for their disposal—as long as they maintain the quality of products. Considering the relationship between feeding management and qualitative profile in products of animal origin, the aim of our study was to assess the effect of dietary olive cake supplementation on nutritional quality, fatty acid composition, volatile and sensory profile of milk and the cheese produced by dairy cows. The experiment was carried out on eighty-four healthy dairy Friesian cows, divided into two homogenous groups. Animals were fed with a conventional diet (CTR group) and a conventional diet supplemented with dried olive cake (OC group). Data showed that olive cake utilization in the diet of lactating dairy cows may modify the quality of dairy products. The increased unsaturated fatty acids (oleic acid, vaccenic acid and CLA) and decreased SFA (short- and medium-chain fatty acids) suggest a positive role of olive cake in improving the nutritional and nutraceutical properties of the cheese. Moreover, the olive cake affected not only the volatile profile of the cheese, but also its appearance, smell and taste, which are associated with a higher score of acceptance. ABSTRACT: Aim of the present study was to assess the effect of dietary dried partially destoned olive cake supplement on nutritional quality and sensory profile of milk and cheese produced by dairy cows. The experiment was carried out on eighty-four healthy dairy Friesian cows divided into two homogenous groups. The control group (CTR) received a conventional diet, whereas the experimental group (OC) received a conventional diet supplemented with olive cake as 15% of DM. The trial lasted five months. Monthly, on individual milk samples, yield and physical-chemical parameters were determined. Milk was used for the artisanal cheese production. On 10 samples of cheese for each group, physical-chemical and fatty acid profile were determined. Electronic nose analysis and sensory evaluation were performed. Data were analyzed by ANOVA. The diet affected (p < 0.05) the milk yield, exclusively in September. Yield and quality of cheese of OC group after 60 d of ripening showed higher (p < 0.05) yield, moisture and fat content, lower (p < 0.05) pH, protein, salt and ash content, higher (p < 0.01) MUFA and PUFA and CLA content, lower (p < 0.05) SFA, higher (p < 0.01) UFA/SFA and hypocholesterolemic/hypercholesterolemic ratios, better (p < 0.01) atherogenic and thrombogenic indices. Data show dietary olive cake supplementation in lactating dairy cows improves nutritional and nutraceutical properties of cheese, volatile profile and level of assessors’ acceptance.