It contains very high amounts of sodium, calcium, phosphorus, zinc and iodine. It has a lot of vitamin A, fatty acids and a number of amino acids.
Parmesan is particularly rich in glutamate, containing up to 1.2 grams of it per 100 grams of cheese. The high concentration of glutamate explains the strong umami taste of this cheese.
Parmigiano Reggiano usually contains cheese crystals, semi-solid or granular crystalline patches, which are partly composed of the amino acid tyrosine.
