Effect of fortification of processed cheese with pomegranate peel fiber on physicochemical, rheological, antioxidant activity and sensory properties

• Olaa Salman Ooda Naser 1, Mahdi Hassan Hussain 2

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The food industry produces large quantities of industrial waste, such as pomegranate peels, which can be used to fortify certain foods, especially dairy products, including processed cheese. This is because pomegranate peels contain high levels of bioactive compounds and can transform foods to which they are added into functional foods. Therefore, processed cheese was manufactured using soft cheese and cheddar cheese, fortified with three concentrations of pomegranate peel fiber (0.5%, 1%, and 1.5%). The study aimed to determine the effect of adding these concentrations  on physiological, rheological, antioxidant activity and sensory properties of processed cheese during storage for five weeks. The results of this study showed that when the pomegranate peel fiber concentration and the storage period increased, the fat, protein, carbohydrate, ash content and acid of processed cheese were significantly increased (p<0.05). While the moisture content and pH were significantly decreased (p<0.05). Rheological tests showed that the hardness of processed cheese was significantly decreased (p<0.05) with increasing of the pomegranate peel fiber but it was increased with increasing of storage time. While the cohesion of processed cheese was increased with increasing of the pomegranate peel fiber but it was decreased with increasing of storage time. Flexibility of processed cheese was significantly increased (p<0.05) with increasing of the pomegranate peel fiber but it was decreased with increasing of storage time. The results of our study showed that the total phenol, total flavonoid, and DPPH were significantly increased (p<0.05) with increasing of pomegranate peel fiber concentrations, and they decreased with increasing of storage time. Sensory evaluation of the fortified processed cheese showed that there were significant differences (p<0.05) in the majority of processed cheese attributes, and the treatment A3 got the highest score in all weeks.                    

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