With its 800-year history, Parmigiano Reggiano is unequivocally considered the king of cheeses! It is rich in proteins, vitamins, minerals and is lactose free.

Proteins are the essential component of the product and have a high biological value, because they contain essential amino acids which are easily assimilated in branched form. Furthermore, thanks to the enzymes it contains, Parmesan is highly digestible.

Fats are mainly made up of medium and short chain fatty acids, absorbed directly by the body and sent to the liver and muscles for their immediate use. Thanks to this process, the Parmesan is much suitable for sportsmen.

'Sabsence of lactose it is recommended for diabetics, lactose intolerant subjects and indicated in the diet of subjects with some gastrointestinal pathologies.

Among the constituents of Parmigiano Reggiano there would be some, under study, which would make it a functional food, i.e. capable of producing beneficial effects on health and consumer welfare.

In particular:
– peptides in proteins;
– polysaccharides with prebiotic function, i.e. indigestible short-chain carbohydrates with the ability to stimulate the growth of one or more bacteria in the colon that exert beneficial effects on health;
– linoleic acid conjugates for which the following hypotheses have been hypothesized: anticancer, antiatherogenic, antiobesity, antidiabetogen, antiplatelet, regulating the allergenic response, stimulation of bone mineralization and immune response;
- probiotics, with activity, in some pathological situations such as enteritis and atopic dermatitis.

Parmigiano Reggiano is therefore a genuine food, rich in history and tradition, which should be included in a varied and balanced diet for people of all ages.

LevitaminsThey are a heterogeneous and complex set of non-energy chemical substances necessary for the body's needs; they must be introduced from outside as they cannot be synthesized by the body.

Vitamin content (in µg) of 100 g of fresh (6-12 months) and aged (22-24 months) Parmigiano Reggiano:

Vitamina		6-12 months	22-24 months
Vitamin A		348	270
Beta Carotene		638	107
Vitamin E		715	440
Vitamin B1		35	34
Vitamin B2		360	370
Vitamin B6		99	110
Vitamin PP		18	55
Vitamin B12		3,2	4,2
B.C. Pantothenic		280	320
Biotin		13	23

*Average values ​​of 10 samples
**Average values ​​of 60 samples

The high percentage of calcium (1.160 mg per 100 grams) makes it a suitable food for children in developmental age, for the elderly and in general for everyone.

Below is the table with the recommended levels by age group:

Age	Calcium intake (mg/day)
1 3-years	800
4 6-years	800
7 10-years	1.000
11 14-years	1.200
15 17-years	1.200
18 29-years	1.000
30 59-years	800
Over 60 – men	1.000
Over 60 – women	1.200

Many people believe that Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano are the same thing. In fact, the production technology is very similar but there are many other differences: for example in theseasoningand in cow feed.

Parmigiano Reggiano, moreover, is produced exclusively in the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna and Mantua. In the territories enclosed between the River Reno and the Po, the cows are fed only with fodder produced in the area.

The main differences:

	Parmigiano Reggiano	Grana Padano
Feeding of cows	The Parmigiano Reggiano consortium provides only a diet with fresh forage and hay.	The Grana Padano consortium also allows silage, i.e. the grass collected and stored in special silos.
Processing	Parmigiano is made only once a day, with milk milked the night before, partially skimmed in special tanks, to which the whole milk from the morning milking is directly added.	Raw milk from a maximum of two milkings on the same day is used, partially skimmed by surfacing.
Preservatives	Absolutely prohibited.	Preservatives allowed because the use of grass stored in silos involves greater risks of contamination. Lysozyme is used (2-2,5 mg/l) as an anti-fermentative, to prevent the formation of bacterial cultures inside the forms during the long period of maturing.
Aging	12 months of minimum maturation, it reaches over 30 months.	9 months of minimum maturation.
Area of ​​production	Provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna (left of the Reno River) Mantua (right of the Pò River).	The territory covers some provinces of Piedmont, Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia Romagna and Trentino.

The Brown Alpine Cow appears in the Parma area around 1870, but begins to spread more from 1892 thanks to Antonio Bizzozzero, founder of the itinerant chair of agriculture in Parma. After having become aware of the agricultural situation in our province, Bizzozzero is committed to teaching techniques and notions to give farmers the possibility of carrying out their work in the best possible way. With regard to cattle breeding, he tries to communicate how the triple aptitude (meat, milk, work) cannot give an income, which instead can be obtained with animals with marked milk-producing or meat-producing aptitudes. Thus began an intense work of crossbreeding to replace the indigenous cattle with bulls of the Bruna Alpina breed. There are currently around 750.000 brown cows in Italy, distributed in various areas. They are animals that adapt very well to different climates and are chosen by those who want to have higher quality milk: on average they produce less than Friesian, but the cheese yield is significantly higher.

Genetically, the brown breed has the B variant of k-casein as a dowry, which has these characteristics: – a better incorporation of fat and protein into the cheese; – a more elastic clot; – shorter coagulation and firming times; – less structured and more consistent curd; – higher percentage of calcium and phosphorus. Bruna's milk allows you to obtain a tasty but delicate Parmigiano Reggiano. It has the typical straw colour, derived from a diet mainly of hay, with a taste and texture that melts in the mouth after 24 months and releases a sensation of incredible completeness.