As part of a milk processor’s annual winter campaign for monitoring the contamination of raw milk with anaerobic spores harmful to cheese – also called butyric acid spores – the analysis methods currently used in Switzerland (MPN method according to CNERNA and filtration method according to Bourgeois) are compared with a new method (SY-LAB). To…
The third beef tenderness survey campaign was carried out during the final trimester of 2018. One hundred sixty-eight samples of beef were purchased in retail outlets, as well as 38 pork fillets for purposes of comparison. Some of the samples were also analysed as part of the beef origin verification program set up by the…
The microbial strains that Agroscope uses for practical trials and which, if successful, subsequently become part of a defined mixed culture, must demonstrate a high level of safety. With this end in view, 186 strains of lactic acid bacteria from the Agroscope Culture Collection were tested for transferable antibiotic resistances, the formation of biogenic amines,…
A feeding experiment was conducted on three pig farms to evaluate the possibility of producing pork with both a specifically improved nutritional value and exceptional eating quality. By supplementing the feed, the concentrations of selenium, vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids were increased in the meat and adipose tissue of the pigs as well as…
Persistent contaminations with propionic acid bacteria and Lactobacillus parabuchneri in milking systems have repeatedly resulted in financial losses in cheese processing. Moreover, histamine in the cheese, caused by Lactobacillus parabuchneri, can also affect consumer health. Biochemical and molecular biological methods have been developed and introduced into practice to enable the quick and reliable identification of…
If self-sufficiency in vegetable protein for the human diet is to be increased, the issue should be considered as comprehensively as possible. This study presents a systemic analysis of the situation in Switzerland, showing which protein-rich crops are most suited to sustainable and organic farming, highlighting their nutritional potential, and indicating the necessary steps for…
The agriculture and food sector is faced with major challenges. The increasing saturation of domestic markets means that the sales potential for Swiss foodstuffs lies outside of the country. Consequently, the Swiss agricultural sector is increasingly reliant on the export-oriented food industry and the support of export promotion. Working together with the Federal Office for…
Nowadays, consumers want products with genuine value-added. With the impact of a medal on the purchasing decisions of consumers being well established, the Fondation Rurale Interjurassienne has dreamt up an event specifically designed to highlight the various Swiss local and origin-linked food products available to consumers: the Concours Suisse des produits du terroir, or Swiss…
In the manufacture of traditional types of cheese, the processing of fresh milk that has been treatedas gently as possible is of crucial importance. Preserving the microbiome and the activity of the original enzymes in the raw milk to the greatest extent possible allows these cheeses to retain their original character. This objective conflicts with…
This study ascertains potato losses in Switzerland along the value chain from field to fork on the basis of questionnaires. The results show that 41–46% of all processing potatoes and 53–56% of all table potatoes are not eaten by consumers. These losses do not represent a complete waste, however. Threequarters of table-potato losses and 90%…
Each year, 1 300 000 tons of whey occur in Switzerland as a by-product of cheesemaking: 24 % is used in the food industry, 31 % is transformed into high-value animal feed and 45 % is fed directly to pigs. Increasing the percentage made into foodstuffs would be desirable but is difficult to realize because…
Every month, only one official milk-testing result is available from between 1000 and 1200 milk producers instead of the two required. Of the missing results, one part originates from milk-collection centers where milk delivery takes place every other day and sampling is performed manually, and is therefore attributable to the time delay between sampling notification…
Swiss cheeses regularly win prizes at international contests. Experts widely agree that the microbial cultures from Liebefeld have contributed greatly to this success story. Thanks to the use of cultures with bacteria originally stemming from biodiversity in the nearby area, the connection between traditional Swiss cheeses and their terroir can be strengthened considerably. This article…
Saucisson vaudois, a cold-smoked raw sausage, were produced with and without 8 % trunk material in five meat processing plants being members of the Association charcuterie vaudoise IGP (ACV-IGP). Production occurred by the use of company-specific standards for the recipes and the processing parameters. Supplementation of 8 % trunk material differed only in a few…
In comparison to the common beef casings from Brazil, beef small intestines from the following countries were tested for their applicability as natural casings for cervelat, a typical Swiss boiled sausage: Brazil (BRA, control), Uruguay (URU), Argentine (ARG), Paraguay (PAR), Australia (AUS), New Zealand (NZL) and Panama (PAN). The sausages were produced with the different…
The ewe’s milk is much lauded for its high orotic acid content. This is sought after as a miracle cure and a universal drug. Although reliable data on this subject can not be found in the scientific literature, the myth of ewe’s milk particularly rich in orotic acid still persists. For this reason, the Agroscope…
Among consumers there is a growing demand for food products with a natural nutritional-physiological advantage over comparable conventional products. As part of an EU funded project, Agroscope Liebefeld-Posieux ALP examined the possible impact of processing on nutritionally valuable milk components, using the example of conjugated linoleic acids (CLA). Among the many benefits ascribed to CLA,…
Two strains of Lactobacillus gasseri were tested for their suitability as probiotic additives to cheese. They werde added seperately along the processing of semi-hard cheese (Tilsit type and Swiss type cheese ) together with the starter cultures. Samples were drawn from the center region in defined intervals during the ripening phase to determine the survival…
Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), cause of paratuberculosis in cattle and other animals, is meant to be suspicious for being involved in Crohn’s disease, an inflammatory bowel disease of humans. As the bacterium is able to partially survive the pasteurization of milk and the process of cheese ripening, it is important to know the presence…
The concept of dynamic CA storage (DCA) involves the reduction of the oxygen level in the storage atmosphere to near the lowest level tolerated by the fruit, the so-called anaerobic compensation point. Fruit quality loss during DCA storage is presumed to be slowed down compared to normal ULO storage. Storage conditions below the critical oxygen…
The influence of typical feeds in the five mountain regions Engadin, Rheinwald, Emmental, Luzerner Hinterland and Toggenburg on the fatty acid (FA) compostion of milkfat was investigated over one year from May 2004 till April 2005. The average altitude of grass-based feed (GBF) growth was 1247 ± 465 m for the summer feed and 1136 ±…
During three years between 2004 and 2006 different levels of nitrogen including various strategies of temporal partitioning were studied with the chicory variety Vintor. The objectives of these experiments were to assess the impact of N fertilization on the development and quality of the chicory roots and thereafter on the performance of the roots at…
A trial with 36 dairy cows in mid-lactation allotted to 3 groups was carried with the aim to evaluate the possibility of increasing the concentration of folic acid in milk by feeding rations naturally rich in folic acid. This experimental ration contained brewery waste, cubes of alfalfa, brewers’ yeast and wheat germ in addition to…
Lysinoalanine (LAL) is produced as an undesirable secondary product during alkaline treatment of proteins or the heating of foodstuffs containing proteins. Because of their closeness, dehydroalanine reacts with the lysine ε-amino group. Since the reaction is largely irreversible, the value of the lysine content is almost completely or totally blocked. Due to an improvement in…
Over the course of time, various concepts relating to the hygiene and safety of food have been developed. These concepts apply to various levels of the food chain and have partially overlapping concerns. Recently, these systems relating to the safety of food have to be linked to programs of public health. This is carried out…
In a trial with lyoners and in comparison to a control (REF) with a total of 22% backfat, 15% backfat was replaced in three experimental sausages as follows: 15% inulin gel of supplier A (IG-A), 7,5% inulin powder of supplier B plus 7,5% ice water (IP-B), 4,5% inulin powder and 1% wheat fibre of supplier…
Since autumn 2005 treatment of apples with SmartFresh™ (active compound 1-Methylcyclopropene, MCP) is permitted in Switzerland. MCP is an ethylene inhibitor. It binds to the ethylene receptors and prevents ripening processes which are induced by ethylene. Enthusiastic postharvest scientist called it the “magic pullet” and presumed that application of this compound will revolutionize storage technology…