July 11 – Veneto will help Brazil produce one of its typical products, thanks to an ambitious project to enhance research and cooperation between institutions. Brazilians are getting ready to make their own special cheese, with a little help from Veneto. Thanks to the Veneto Institute for Quality and Technology of Agriculture, the Brazilian state of Paraná will now produce a cheese, making the most of the strong milk production in the territory and capitalizing on the nascent habit to consume hard cheeses. The result stems from a collaboration within the “Rete” project, supported by the Veneto Region and coordinated by the Belluno in the World Association, with the participation of Veneto Agriculture, the Institute of Thiene (Vicenza) and Bioagro Srl. The results will be presented on Monday, July 14 in Belluno (in the Sala Bianchi ov Viale Fantuzzi, 5:30pm). The aim of the “Rete” project is to establish local sustainable systems for the production of cheese with a trademark specific to the municipalities in the State of Parana. The first stage concerned the selection of crops and took place in the laboratories of the University of Pato Branco; while the later stages of characterization, identification and production of local enzymes were carried out at the laboratories of the Veneto Agriculture Centre for Enzymes Production. Two starter cultures have been selected and tested, via cheese-making trials conducted in Parana, where they were integrated with the bacterial flora present in the original milk. Then, the cheese was shaped and ripened under the brand “Santo Giorno,” which will be from now on produced in the area. This success prompted some Venetian companies to participate in the official presentation of the cheese, which recently took place in Brazil, and look for business opportunities for their products in the vast dairy supply chain market.
