Characterization of Cephalotyre (Ras) Cheese Supplemented with Turmeric Powder

Cephalotyre (Ras) cheese supplemented with turmeric ( Curcuma longa L.) powder was investigated for color, chemical, rheological and sensorial characteristics during ripening as an attempt to produce functional dairy product have the therapeutic effects of turmeric. Also, identification and quantification of turmeric phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity were investigated for the tested sample. The phenolic compounds profile of different turmeric extracts showed that the turmeric had the highest content of different phenolic compounds such as gallic acid, catechin, syringic acid, ellagic acid, coumaric acid, vanillin, ferulic acid, naringenin, and cinnamic acid. The addition of prepared turmeric powder in the Ras cheese processing increased the dry matter content gradually as the turmeric level increased. Also, the color factor increased as the turmeric level increased in comparison with control cheese. The addition of turmeric powder to Ras cheese increased their hardness while other texture characteristics were close to control cheese. The flavor and appearance of turmeric Ras cheese were slightly higher than control cheese except the highest level of turmeric.It could be concluded that the addition of prepared turmeric ( Curcuma longa L.) powder to Cephalotyre (Ras) cheese as a natural color agent improved the chemical, physical, rheological and sensorial characteristics during ripening at the low level of 0.25%without any appeared defects during ripening period.