Fat and cholesterol, a pairing that warns consumers in front of a nice cheese plateau, seen as an attack on our coronaries. The subject is extremely delicate for consumers, and must undoubtedly be tackled with seriousness and scientific rigour. But generalizing is equally a big mistake, at least because it deprives our palate of pleasant sensations and our body of proper nourishment. Indeed, there is no doubt that cheeses such as Brie, Camembert, spreadable cheeses, Gorgonzola, Edam, Fontina, have a high cholesterol content and should be taken in moderation by those suffering from coronary heart disease.
Does it also apply to buffalo mozzarella, the flag of Made in Italy all over the world? "Absolutely not - Domenico Raimondo replies without hesitation, President of the Consortium for the Protection of Buffalo Mozzarella Campana - this is fake news that must be absolutely debunked and that we as a Consortium continue to deny in all venues".
Raimondo, after recalling that Mozzarella di Bufala Campana is the most important PDO branded product in Central-Southern Italy and is an integral part of the Mediterranean diet, goes into detail to list its qualities: "Easily digestible, it has a low sugar and lactose, is an excellent source of proteins with a high biological value, accompanied by a moderate intake of total fats, saturated fatty acids. In fact, Mozzarella di Bufala Campana has a good balance of the various lipid fractions, with a contribution also of appreciable quantities of unsaturated fatty acids and short-chain fatty acids, easily transported in the blood rather than stored in adipose deposits”.
In fact, as far as the quality of the cholesterol contained is concerned, the Mozzarella di Bufala Campana has the right credentials: in fact, the analyzes show that the percentage per 100 grams of product does not exceed 50/60 milligrams (compared to a maximum recommended quantity by the World Health Organization of 300 mg/day) and is lower than meat and eggs.
"With about 300 kcal per 100 grams of product - adds Raimondo - the Mozzarella di Bufala Campana is unjustly considered a fatty cheese, instead it is much more dietetic than other dairy products".
And in fact, its 50 ml of calories are almost half compared to the 98 of Brie and are far below the values of Camembert (78), Edam (79) of spreadable cheese (90), Parmesan and Pecorino Romano (90). Less than buffalo mozzarella there are only sheep ricotta and cow ricotta.
Buffalo mozzarella also provides good quantities of water-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B6 and niacin. It is also a good source of beta-carotene, vitamin E and zinc, all substances which contribute to the defense of oxidizing agents and therefore useful in counteracting the negative action of free radicals.
It should also be mentioned that the Mozzarella di Bufala from Campania is particularly nutritious, the energy intake is 288 kcal/100 grams due to the presence of 16,7 g of protein, 24,4 g of fat, very little lactose (0,4 g% ) and is a mine of micronutrients (vitamins and mineral salts) among which calcium (210 mg %) and vitamin B12 (1,7 μg %) deserve a mention.
Below is the nutritional table:
Buffalo mozzarella from Campania (100 grams)
CALORIES (Kcal) 288
PROTEINS (g) 16,7
FAT (g) 24,4
CHOLESTEROL (mg) 56
CALCIUM (mg) 210.
For the production of Mozzarella di Bufala Campana it is used exclusively fresh whole buffalo milk coming from farms in the certified area.
With the denomination of Protected Origin those organoleptic and product characteristics of the typical buffalo mozzarella cheese from Campania are recognized, derived from precise environmental conditions and from the traditional processing methods existing only in this specific production area. Only the dairies who pass the demanding certification process can obtain the PDO mark. Subsequently, such companies come
