Cream Zahter: A Functional Food Some Chemical and Sensory Properties

Abstract

Zahter is a traditional product for breakfast containing seeds of watermelon and melon, roasted chickpea, sesame, thyme, cumin, black cumin, fennel, coriander, anise, bulgur, koruk (dried unripe grape), citric acid, sumac, hot red ground pepper and salt although it varies from one factory to another and rely mainly on small scale home productions. All or some of the above mentioned ingredients are mixed and milled at different ratios and served as powder. It is consumed together with natural olive oil making it more attractive with respect to nourishment and health aspects. The objective of this study obtained a functional product which is ready to spread on bread by mixing olive oil, olive oil-turpentine oil and olive oil-turpentine with zahter. There were three products in different ratios. First the ratio of zahter: olive oil in the emulsion was 69:31. Second the ratio of zahter:olive oil, turpentine oil in the emulsion were 69:20:11. Third The ratio of zahter:olive oil, turpentine in the emulsion were 52:17:31. When compared with simple zahter, antioxidant capacity, phenolic compounds of each combination were higher. Furthermore it is thought that these combinations have has the effect of synergy for fat-soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K) because they contain olive oil especially and turpentine oil. According to the results of sensory analysis done, panelists gave the highest score for second emulsion which contained zahter, olive oil and turpentine oil and the lowest score for third emulsion which contained zahter, olive oil and turpentine.