Strategies for reducing the environmental impacts of organic mozzarella cheese production

Abstract This study first investigates the environmental performance of 1 kg organic mozzarella cheese production, performing a cradle-to-gate attributional life cycle assessment. The upstream process related to organic milk production contributed the most to the impact category of climate change in the cheese's life cycle. Electricity and water consumption were the main contributors to impacts at the dairy plant level. Then, disregarding the impacts from milk, five scenarios related to technological and management strategies at plant level are proposed, including a new equipment acquisition, changes in the production volume rate, and the use of byproducts to obtain new foods. The use of a cooling tower during milk pasteurization reduced water consumption by 60%. Varying the production volume of the dairy beverage resulted in relevant changes in all impact categories considered. Differences in the volume of mozzarella cheese production did not result in relevant changes in the impact categories. The use of skimmed buffalo milk proved to be a feasible option to produce the Minas frescal light cheese. Also, an inventory of mozzarella cheese certified as organic was obtained. Such results can provide more reliable information to stakeholders regarding product choice and processes with the best environmental performance for the dairy industry.