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The incorporation of plant materials in “Serra da Estrela” cheese improves antioxidant activity without changing the fatty acid profile and visual appearance

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Resumo:“Serra da Estrela” cheese is a Portuguese delicacy, which has been produced for centuries from the milk of cattle pasturing in the protected Serra da Estrela natural park. Transforming this cheese into a functional food would be a huge benefit for the market and the consumer. Decocted extracts and dried chestnut flowers and lemon balm plants were incorporated into the cheese to functionalize it, granting antioxidant activity to this foodstuff. The functionalized cheeses showed higher antioxidant activity, especially lipid peroxidation inhibition. The incorporation of dried plants appeared to be more effective than using decoctions, but the influence of the plant species was less observable. Furthermore, the fatty acids profile of the cheeses was also determined through gas chromatography. C18:1 and C16:0 were the most abundant fatty acids; saturated fatty acids prevailed over the unsaturated ones. Between the control and the incorporated samples no significant differences were found. In addition, the external color was measured through a spectrophotometer for lightness, yellowness and redness. There were some differences recorded for each samples’ color. In general, the results indicated that the functionalization of this exquisite dairy product with natural plant extracts provided beneficial characteristics, both for consumers (healthier product) and producers (added-value products).
Autores principais:Carocho, Márcio
Outros Autores:Barreira, João C.M.; Antonio, Amilcar L.; Bento, Albino; Morales, Patricia; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R.
Assunto:Cheese Chestnut flowers Functional foods Lemon balm plant Lipid peroxidation inhibition Serra da Estrela
Ano:2015
País:Portugal
Tipo de documento:artigo
Tipo de acesso:acesso aberto
Instituição associada:Instituto Politécnico de Bragança
Idioma:inglês
Origem:Biblioteca Digital do IPB
Descrição
Resumo:“Serra da Estrela” cheese is a Portuguese delicacy, which has been produced for centuries from the milk of cattle pasturing in the protected Serra da Estrela natural park. Transforming this cheese into a functional food would be a huge benefit for the market and the consumer. Decocted extracts and dried chestnut flowers and lemon balm plants were incorporated into the cheese to functionalize it, granting antioxidant activity to this foodstuff. The functionalized cheeses showed higher antioxidant activity, especially lipid peroxidation inhibition. The incorporation of dried plants appeared to be more effective than using decoctions, but the influence of the plant species was less observable. Furthermore, the fatty acids profile of the cheeses was also determined through gas chromatography. C18:1 and C16:0 were the most abundant fatty acids; saturated fatty acids prevailed over the unsaturated ones. Between the control and the incorporated samples no significant differences were found. In addition, the external color was measured through a spectrophotometer for lightness, yellowness and redness. There were some differences recorded for each samples’ color. In general, the results indicated that the functionalization of this exquisite dairy product with natural plant extracts provided beneficial characteristics, both for consumers (healthier product) and producers (added-value products).