Preliminary findings on the effect of light-oxidation on Asiago d’allevo vecchio protected designation of origin cheese

Food is exposed to light during processing, packaging, distribution and retail storage, resulting in deterioration of the product quality. Milk and other dairy products are among the most sensitive due to the high content of riboflavin, vitamin B2, which is an efficient photosensitizer for oxidative processes. Photooxidation in cheese induces degradation of nutritional quality such as proteins, lipids, and vitamins. Moreover, it causes formation of off-flavours, off-odours and gradual bleaching. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of light exposition on sliced Asiago d’allevo cheese (lowland vs alpine) aerobically packaged stored for 336 h under both fluorescent light and in the dark. Alpine cheese showed higher b* (Pa* indexes (P