Hadeel kouzy(1)* and Omer Zammar(2)
(1). Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, AL-Baath University, Homs. Syria.
(2). Department of Food Science, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, AL-Baath University, Homs. Syria.
(*Corresponding author: Hadeel Kouzy. E-Mail: hadeel.kouzy@gmail.com)
Mobile number: 0938315603 )
Received: 5/08/2024 Accepted:4/11/2024
Abstract:
This research was conducted in the Department of Food Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, Al-Baath University in 2023. The aim of this research was to enhance the nutritional value of cheese by adding spirulina algae powder due to its richness in proteins, antioxidants and various minerals, and to enhance the color as a factor to attract consumers. Spirulina is a rich source of chlorophyll pigments, and accordingly, spirulina powder was added to soft cheese at three concentrations (0.5, 1.0, 1.5)%. Then, the physical, chemical and sensory properties of the resulting cheese were studied during storage for 14 days at a temperature of 4°C. The results showed that the content of the samples of total solid matter, ash, protein and fat increased with increasing the concentration of the addition, especially at the highest concentration (1.5)%, while the carbohydrate content of the samples decreased insignificantly with increasing concentration of the addition. The pH increased and the acidity decreased significantly in all samples fortified with spirulina powder compared to the control cheese sample. The antioxidant activity also increased with increasing powder concentration compared to the control sample. In addition, the results of the physical analysis showed that the hardness values increased significantly with increasing the concentration of the additive and also with increasing the storage period until the fourteenth day of refrigerated storage, which affected the general acceptance of the cheese samples. The value of the a* index decreased significantly with increasing the concentration of spirulina in the cheese samples, while the water activity decreased with increasing the concentration of the additive, which led to a reduction in microbial activity.
Keywords: cheese, Spirulina, antioxidants, phenolic compounds, physical properties.
Full paper in Arabic: pdf