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The proposed investment plan is an initiative that combines the pursuits of the expansion/development of two cheese-making enterprises of the PKK and the specialized knowledge/expertise of two research groups, that of the Institute of Veterinary Research – ELGO DIMITRA and that of the Animal Science Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Medicine, A.P. .Th.
The indigenous goat breeds, due to the centuries-long adaptation to their living area, have adapted perfectly to the special soil and climate conditions of their place and can be used to produce unique-tasting local cheese products with special taste characteristics that will be directly linked to the tradition of the Central Macedonia. This is exactly what France has achieved, which has more than 400 types of cheese, produced in specific regions following traditional methods, most of which occupy the first positions in consumer preferences.
The proposed investment plan essentially contributes to ensuring the protection and authenticity of traditional Greek cheese products produced from the milk of domestic goat breeds, supporting the consolidation of the “Greek goat cheese” brand name. The development of a new molecular method with direct application to the traceability of animal products (milk, dairy) of Greek goat breeds will be able to detect any adulterations or impurities of goat milk from foreign goat breeds reared in Greece or from imported milk and will be able to ensures the “national” identity in traditional products leading to added value based on the brand name “Greek goat cheese”.
According to the standard that will be developed by ELGO – DIMITRA, the companies producing dairy products will be able to include the logo together with the GRAEGA CHEESE code on their packaging only if they used milk that had the GRAEGA CHEESE certification, which comes from i.e. from producers who breed exclusively goats of domestic breeds, comply with the specifications set by the standard and have been certified against it. In case they used milk from more than one certified producer, the codes of all these producers should be written on the package. Accordingly, in the event of an audit by the competent authorities (EFET, ELGO-Dimitra / General Directorate of Quality Assurance, D.K.) these companies should be able to prove the origin of the milk if they used the GRAEGA CHEESE logo on the product packaging their. The presence of the GRAEGA CHEESE logo in combination with the indication of the farm code or codes if we have more than one, will ensure the traceability of dairy products and gain the trust of the competent control bodies and consumers.
At the same time, the water adulteration detection protocol will enable cheese factories to frequently check the authenticity of the milk they receive from their producers, not to have financial losses from milk that is not suitable and, of course, to be able to guarantee the quality of their own the products that will be prepared from raw material that will have been tested.
In conclusion, the development of the molecular method in combination with the GRAEGA CHEESE standard and adulteration detection protocol is a series of innovative tools that will certify local
traditional Macedonian dairy products made from goat’s milk in order to protect their special character, highlight their distinct taste and nutritional characteristics, give them added value, strengthen the competitiveness of the specific enterprises and ensure their viability and profitability . The implementation of GRAEGA CHEESE deliverables will upgrade and increase the share of enterprises in the goat cheese market and strengthen their extroversion.
Project director:
sakaridis@elgo.gr
