Press Release
CZU Scientists Confirm: Jihočeská Niva Is a Nutritionally Valuable Food and an Effective Antioxidant
Prague, May 4, 2026 – Gaining deeper insight into the delicacy of Jihočeská Niva, a South Bohemian blue cheese protected by a geographical indication, was the aim of researchers from the DRIFT-FOOD Research Centre at the Faculty of Agrobiology, Food and Natural Resources of the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZU). Their findings have been published in LWT – Food Science and Technology in an article entitled “Jihočeská Niva cheese, effect of age on the small peptides profile and their antioxidant capacity.”
This popular cheese has been produced since 1951 in the South Bohemian region using milk from cows freely grazing in the Novohradské Mountains, the Blanský les Protected Landscape Area, and the Šumava region. The study showed that the antioxidant capacity of Niva cheese remains largely unchanged during ripening and is comparable to that of other blue cheeses produced abroad. The cheese’s antioxidant properties are attributed to the presence of low-molecular-weight peptides, which are short fragments of milk proteins.
The research also included the evaluation of additional chemical and physical parameters, contributing to a deeper understanding of the characteristics of Niva cheese. The scientists found that both the fat content and hardness of the cheese change with age. More mature cheeses contain higher levels of fat and are firmer than younger cheeses.
This study demonstrates that Niva cheese is both a nutritionally valuable and an effective functional food.
The full article, “Jihočeská Niva cheese, effect of age on the small peptides profile and their antioxidant capacity,” is available here.
Media contact:
Dr. Teresita Martín-del-Campo
DRIFT-FOOD Research Centre
E-mail: teresitamartin@af.czu.cz
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