Production of spread cheese by incorporating micro-encapsulated pepper oil with corn oil

Abstract

The incorporation of functional ingredients in cheese is a new technology application in the food industry. Black pepper oil and corn oil were purchased from commercial stores and micro-encapsulated with the 0:0 g, 15:0 g, 0:15 g, 7.5:7.5 g named as T1 to T4 respectively and added into the cheese while maintaining the standard process. Prepared samples were put into 175 ml glass bottles and kept for sensory, chemical, and microbiological analyses at room temperature and then chilled. The sensory attributes were examined using the hedonic test. The exception of taste, no significant differences in qualitative attributes was identified in all samples. To assess the shelf life of the product designed for marketability, measurements were made on a regular basis for microbiological characteristics such as total plate count, yeast and molds, and coliforms, as well as chemical data such as pH, moisture content, and titratable acidity. The micro-encapsulated products showed a minimum change in the sensory and chemical attributes therefore, it can be concluded that the microencapsulation technology is useful to produce a better spread cheese.