Acta Scientiarum Polonorum Technologia Alimentaria

Background. Ripened cheeses undergo maturation periods during which biochemical changes occur, result­ing in specific sensory characteristics in the final product. One crucial aspect of these changes is proteolytic reactions. The introduction of proteolytic microorganisms can significantly shorten the maturation time. Fur­thermore, probiotic microorganisms, due to their proteolytic activity, can contribute to both the technological process and the health effects of cheese production, providing consumers with added benefits. Turmeric, known for its phenolic pigments, which are responsible for its yellow color, can be added to foods to enhance their antioxidant activity. Proteolytic and probiotic microorganisms can reduce the maturation time of ripened cheeses. These microorganisms can also be used to assess how turmeric affects the sensory characteristics and health benefits of the cheeses. This study explored the enhancement of Minas cheese, cured for 60 days, by incorporating turmeric extract into the milk. The addition of E. faecium and L. helveticus was intended to improve the cheese’s nutritional, sensory, and physicochemical properties.
Material and methods. Evaluation of the effects of adding E. faecium, L. helveticus and turmeric extract to ripened Minas cheese for up to 60 days. Three treatments were performed: cheese with the addition of starter culture only (Control), cheese with added E. faecium and L. helveticus (T1); and cheese with added E. faecium, L. helveticus and turmeric extract (T2). During maturation, analysis of centesimal composition, pH, titratable acidity, microbiological counts of viable cells, curcumin content, total phenolics, antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS+·and FRAP), extent and depth of proteolysis indexes (EPI and DPI), separation of polypeptides by molecular mass using SDS-PAGE and sensory analysis were carried out.
Results. There were differences in the centesimal composition parameters for all treatments during matura­tion. There was a reduction in pH values during maturation, reaching 4.7 to 4.8 after 14 days. The titratable acidity showed a progressive increase during maturation, reaching up to 1.3 g lactic acid·100 g–1 of cheese. The cheeses had E. faecium counts between 7 and 8 log CFU·g–1 during the entire ripening period. For total phenolics, T2 cheeses showed 174.29 ±0.46 mg GAE·100 g–1, a significant increase (p ≤ 0.05) when compared to the other treatments. Treatment T2 showed an increase in curcumin content during maturation, reaching 0.01 ±0.00 g·100 g–1 from 45 days with a significant increase (p ≤ 0.05) in antioxidant activity. The proteolysis extension index of the three treatments was 12% at 60 days. The depth index showed values of 7.78% for the T1 treatment and 6.78% for the T1 and T2 treatments at 60 days. The electrophoretic profiles by SDS-PAGE of the three treatments, after 30 days, showed similarities. For sensory acceptance, the control and T1 treatments presented global acceptance scores between 7 and 8, and the T2 treatment between 6 and 7.
Conclusion. The findings suggest that the ripened Minas cheese received satisfactory acceptance from poten­tial consumers and could be a beneficial addition to the diet. When consumed regularly as part of a balanced diet and combined with exercise, it could enhance health. The addition of turmeric increased phenolic content and antioxidant activity, which remained at satisfactory levels after 60 days.