Evaluation of the impact of feeding supplement on sensory characteristics, preference and willingness to pay for value-enhancement of sheep cheese production in a mountain area.

The study focuses on an action to improve the quantity and the quality of sheep cheese, to allow greater profitability of farming in the mountain areas in central Italy. We used food supplementation during the period between the pasture’s maximum flowering and maximum dryness. The sensory features of three different samples of cheese were studied, together with consumer preference. The studied cheeses represent the product derived from milk collected at the maximum flowering of the pasture (MXF), at the maximum dryness (CTR) and from sheep fed with a supplementation (EXP). First, the samples were studied from a sensory point of view using QDA to describe the main differences among products. Afterwards, we run a consumer study divided into two steps: a preference evaluation, and a willingness to pay measurement using both experimental auctions and a hypothetical choice experiment. Chemical analyses were also carried out to understand the changes in the nutritional composition. Product characterization showed a clear differentiation: the EXP cheese had a high level of odour and flavour of hay and a great cohesiveness; the MXF cheese showed a high level of odour and flavour of fresh grass with a high bitter intensity; the CTR cheese was characterized by a high level of stale and cheese crust attributes. The consumer test conducted on 95 consumers showed a higher preference for the EXP and MXF samples and a lower preference for CTR. The experimental auctions showed that for the MXF cheese 95% of consumers were willing to pay the current price of 13,90€/kg or more. The hypothetical choice experiment showed that 56% of consumers were willing to pay an average increase of the EXP cheese market price of 47%. Results suggest that the suggested intervention could improve cheese quality and there is room for valueenhancement of the improved products.