Assessment of vitamin content in different types of romanian cheese

Abstract

In recent years there was a preference for healthy natural products hence an increased interest in functional food including fermented dairy products occurred. Dairy products contain nutrients essential for health, of which vitamins could help reduce the risk of certain diseases. Cheese is a highly nutritious food that can play an important role in a wellbalanced diet. The aim of this research was to investigate the vitamin composition of various types of cheese and to evaluate the vitamins intake provided by cheese as part of the daily diet. The determinations were performed on traditional Romanian cheese, meaning cow, sheep, goat and buffalo Telemea and some Kashkaval types purchased from local supermarkets. The samples were subjected to vitamins B1, B2, B12, A and E analysis using spectrofluorometric, spectrophotometric, HPLC and microbiological methods. The results showed a higher content of vitamins B2 and E in Telemea cheese while Kashkaval types were distinguished for vitamin B1, B12 and A. Regarding the vitamin content depending on raw material used for obtaining the different types of cheese, those made from goat milk recorded the highest level of the analyzed vitamins, followed by those from sheep milk, while lowest amounts were found in products obtained from cow.