Cheeses from the Canadienne Breed Now Recognized

Novalait is proud to have supported a research project that contributed to the establishment of reserved designations for cheeses from the Canadienne cattle breed in spring 2016. Currently, six Quebec cheeses have obtained reserved designations. The cheeses are made with milk from ten farms that raise the Canadienne breed of dairy cattle.

Using genomics, the research team aimed to identify the technological and microbiological characteristics of milks from different breeds. The project was led by researcher Steve Labrie from Université Laval between 2012 and 2015. Identifying their specific characteristics allowed the researchers to draw associations between the genetics of the Canadienne species and the production of fine cheeses.

©Mario Duchesne

The results of the research project demonstrated that milk from the Canadienne cattle breed is characterized by high levels of proteins, fat content and minerals in comparison to other breeds. Milk from Canadienne cows also presents a longer curdling time than milk from the other breeds that were sampled. The calcium concentration in Canadienne milk is also higher. These characteristics confer specific qualities to cheeses.

This reserved designation helps to more easily differentiate high value-added products from Quebec, such as fine cheeses, and to recognize and promote the knowledge of Quebec dairy farmers and processors.