- 1Institute of Public Health of Brod-Posavina County, Vladimira Nazora 2A,
HR-35000 Slavonski Brod, Croatia.
- 2Department of Biochemical Engineering, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology,
Pierottijeva 6, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
- 3Laboratory for Chemical Kinetics and Atmospheric Chemistry, Ruder Bošković Institute,
Bijenička 54, HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
- 4Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology,
Pierottijeva 6,HR-10000 Zagreb, Croatia.
Abstract
The study focuses on developing novel cottage cheese containing spices with acceptable sensory properties, increased biological value and extended shelf life. Thirty types of cheese
with added fresh or dried parsley, dill, pepper, garlic and rosemary
were produced. Characterisation of phenolic compounds, antioxidant
capacity and antibacterial activity of spices and cheese samples were evaluated. The cheese
containing fresh pepper and fresh and dried herbs showed excellent
sensory properties, with the best results obtained with fresh sweet red
pepper. Dry rosemary had the highest antioxidant and antibacterial
activity due to high mass fractions of caffeic and rosmarinic acids as
well as high mass fractions of flavones and phenolic diterpenes. The
plant extracts examined in vitro and in situ effectively reduce numbers of foodborne pathogens like Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes, and therefore have potential as natural preservatives and antioxidants.
KEYWORDS:
antioxidant activity; cheese; food spoilage bacteria; fresh pepper; phenols; spices
