Supplementing cheese with polyphenol rich fruits to increase content of beneficial bioactive polyphenols

Polyphenols are phytochemicals potentially beneficial for human health [1]. By adding polyphenol rich fruits to products, normally poor in these bioactive compounds could therefore improve them nutritionally. In this study, we tested this process with Caciotta-like cheese. However, polyphenols are antimicrobial and therefore potentially disruptive of cheese fermentation [2]. Disruption of essential lactic acid bacteria (LAB) could negatively affect cheese nutrition and/or organoleptic properties. Methodology We cooked experimental cheeses supplemented with cornelian cherry (Cornus mas) or blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) due to their high polyphenol content [3,4]. We tested two doses of either conventionally or organically farmed fruits. Concentration of polyphenols of the cheeses were measured using Folin–Ciocalteu method, based on a colorimetric reaction with polyphenols combined with spectrometry. Microbial community of cheese was examined using selective media targeting LAB, coliforms or total aerobic bacteria and counting colonies. Results & Discussion We found that the total polyphenol content of cheeses increased when supplemented with fruits, in particular with higher dose and with conventionally farmed fruits. In plants, polyphenols are commonly produced to protect plants from various hazards [5]. The difference between farming methods could be due to the plants producing different polyphenol profiles based on farming method and/or location. When compared to control cheeses the microbial community of experimental cheese did not differ. The only exception was with the mesophilic lactococcus community of blackcurrant cheese, where the bacterial counts were lower. This difference between fruits could be caused by a difference in polyphenol profile. Conclusion We constructed cheeses with increased concentration of total polyphenols, without seriously disrupting fermentation of the product. Future work would concern improving our method to increase total polyphenol content and investigate polyphenol profile of fruits and cheeses.