Fortification of reduced-fat Cheddar cheese with n-3 fatty acids: Effect on off-flavor generation

Abstract

The objective of this study was to fortify 50% reduced fat Cheddar cheese with n-3 fatty acids and evaluate whether this fortification generated specific off-flavors in the cheese. Docosahexaenoic (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic (EPA) fatty acids were added to the cheese to obtain 3 final fortification levels [18, 35, and 71 mg of DHA/EPA per serving size (28 g) of cheese] representing 10, 20, and 40% of the suggested daily intake level for DHA/EPA. The presence of oxidized, rancid, and fishy flavors as a function of fortification level and cheese aging (6 mo) was evaluated using a sensory descriptive panel. No differences were found in the oxidized and rancid flavors as a consequence of DHA/EPA fortification, with only slight intensities of these flavors. The presence of fishy off-flavor was dependent on the fortification level. Cheeses with low fortification levels (18 and 35 mg of DHA/EPA per serving size) did not develop significant fishy off-flavor compared with the control, whereas at the highest fortification level (71 mg of DHA/EPA per serving size) the fishy off-flavor was significantly stronger in young cheeses. The fishy flavor decreased as a function of age and became nonsignificant compared with the control at 3 mo of storage. Even though fishy flavors were detected in the fortified cheeses, the DHA/EPA content during storage remained constant and complied with the suggested values for food fortification. Results obtained from this research indicate that 50% reduced-fat Cheddar cheese aged for 3 mo can be used as a vehicle for delivery of n-3 fatty acids without generation of off-flavors.

Eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids as inflammation-modulating and lipid homeostasis influencing nutraceuticals: A review

“…Another possibility is direct fortification of milk (Or-Rashid, Odongo, Wright, & McBride, 2009) or cheese (Martini, Thurgood, Brothersen, Ware, & McMahon, 2009) by EPA/ DHA. Milk naturally enhanced by DHA had 24 times higher DHA and nearly three times higher EPA content in comparison with regular milk (Or-Rashid et al, 2009).…”

Oxidative Stability and Consumer Acceptance of Fish Oil Fortified Nutrition Bars

“…Fish oil has been shown to be oxidatively stable in refrigerated high‐moisture dairy products (Aryana 2007; Kolanowski and Weiβbrodt 2007; Martini and others 2009; Ye and others 2009; Hughes and others 2012) but use of fish oil in intermediate moisture products is limited (Serna‐Saldivar and others 2006; Iafelice and others 2008; Borneo and others 2007; Horn and others 2009; Nielsen and Jacobsen 2009). Fortification of shelf‐stable food products is desirable from a consumer standpoint since their long shelf life promotes “on the go” snacking.…”

Iron–Lactoferrin Complex Reduces Iron‐Catalyzed Off‐flavor Formation in Powdered Milk with Added Fish Oil

“…Nevertheless, the intake of long‐chain n ‐3 PUFAs is inadequate in western countries (Garg and others 2006), so fortifying milk and various kinds of dairy products with fish oils is a major commercial opportunity for the dairy industry. This is a challenging technology because fish oil is easily oxidized and develops off‐flavors during the processing and storage of dairy products (Kolanowski and Weißbrodt 2007; Jimenez‐Alvarez and others 2008; Martini and others 2009). In addition, milk and dairy products have an extremely low content of iron (Gaucheron 2000).…”