Influence of Ripening Time and Production Area on the Sensory Identity of Italian Montasio PDO Semihard Cheese

Protected designation of origin (PDO) cheeses rely on well-defned sensory attributes to ensure product identity and regulatoryspecifcations. This study investigated how ripening time (2, 3, 6–7, and 18–20 months) and production areas (mountain andlowland dairies) shape the sensory identity of PDO semihard cheese, while systematically verifying panel performance to ensureaccurate descriptive profling. After selection and training, the panel (n = 10) was evaluated for repeatability and concordanceusing three reference cheeses. Most judges showed acceptable performance, although sourness emerged as the least repeatableattribute (n = 16). The validated panel evaluated 60 PDO semihard cheeses. Cheeses ripened for 2 and 3 months were characterizedby high elasticity (4.4 � 0.2) and lactic notes, whereas longer ripening increased hardness (5.5 � 0.6), friability (4.2 � 0.5), andaroma intensity, alongside the development of vegetal, animal, and pungent descriptors. Notably, cheeses ripened for 6–7 monthsshowed the greatest sensory variability, indicating that medium ripening is the time in which technological and environmentalfactors most infuence sensory diversity. Principal component analysis, explaining 68.8% of the total variance, highlighted a clearseparation between 6–7- and 18–20-month cheeses, whereas 2-month samples could not be discriminated against 3-month ones,refecting their similar early-ripening traits. Geographical origin had little efect on young cheeses but contributed to diferentiationat advanced ripening stages, underscoring the value of sensory profling as a practical tool to support PDO diferentiation andenhance traceability across production zones. Overall, the study provides a structured approach for panel alignment anddemonstrates that ripening is the primary driver of sensory variability in semihard cheese, while the infuence of production areabecomes evident during later maturation.