The fatty acid profile of mountain cheese produced in the summer, when the dairy cows are put out to summer alpine pasture, was compared with that of cheese from cows kept inside cowsheds and fed harvested forage and grain. The mountain cheese was characterised by a higher unsaturated fatty acid content and lower levels of saturated fatty acids with respect to the corresponding cheeses produced in the plains. The unsaturated fatty acid content in the mountain cheese was 44.10% of the total fatty acids and 33.21% of the total fatty acids for the cheeses from the plains. Conversely, the saturated fatty acid contents were 53.74% and 63.44% of the total fatty acids for the mountain cheeses and those from the plains, respectively. The C18:1 / C16 ratio was always higher in mountain cheese (1.37) than in cheese from the plains (0.85). The c9, t-11 isomer of the C:18 fatty acid was found in appreciably higher amounts in the mountain cheese (1.63% of the total fatty acids measured) compared to that from the plains (0.75% of the total). Indexes useful for identifying the dairy products from the mountain have been specified. Results show that cheese manufactured from milk produced by cows grazing in the mountain pastures was rich in unsaturated fatty acids and the c9, t-11 isomer of conjugated linoleic acid that have been shown to have potential health benefits for humans compared with cheese from milk produced by cows fed stored forage and grain.
