Pumpkin Pomace Powder as a Bioactive Powder Ingredient for Whey Cheese Production

Pumpkin, a nutritious and economical product with health benefits, is harvested worldwide. This study investigates the feasibility of incorporating fiber-, carotenoid-, and mineral-rich pumpkin pomace powder (PPP), a by-product of pumpkin processing, into whey cheese to enhance its nutritional profi...

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Main Authors: Florin Daniel Lipșa, Eugen Ulea, Andrei-Mihai Gafencu, Andreea-Mihaela Florea, Roxana Nicoleta Rațu, Florina Stoica, Iuliana Motrescu, Gabriela Râpeanu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-10-01
Series:Applied Sciences
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/21/9624
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author Florin Daniel Lipșa
Eugen Ulea
Andrei-Mihai Gafencu
Andreea-Mihaela Florea
Roxana Nicoleta Rațu
Florina Stoica
Iuliana Motrescu
Gabriela Râpeanu
author_facet Florin Daniel Lipșa
Eugen Ulea
Andrei-Mihai Gafencu
Andreea-Mihaela Florea
Roxana Nicoleta Rațu
Florina Stoica
Iuliana Motrescu
Gabriela Râpeanu
author_sort Florin Daniel Lipșa
collection DOAJ
description Pumpkin, a nutritious and economical product with health benefits, is harvested worldwide. This study investigates the feasibility of incorporating fiber-, carotenoid-, and mineral-rich pumpkin pomace powder (PPP), a by-product of pumpkin processing, into whey cheese to enhance its nutritional profile without affecting consumer acceptability. The cheese was enhanced with varying concentrations of PPP (3% and 6%), and each variant was analyzed for its nutritional content, minerals, phytochemicals, color, and sensory properties. The results demonstrate that PPP addition increased the phytochemicals (45.44–82.83 mg GAE/100 g dw) and antioxidant activity (470.25–977.41 µmol TE/g dw) of the enriched cheese. The findings show that the addition of PPP improved the nutritional, color, and minerals of the enhanced whey cheese. The sensory evaluation indicates that with up to a 3% addition of PPP, the obtained cheese was well-received by consumers, who appreciated the subtle changes in flavor and the enhanced color of the product. The structural analysis reveals that including PPP improved the moisture retention of the cheese, contributing to a creamier texture, which is a desirable attribute in cheese. The study concludes that PPP can be effectively used to enrich cheese, offering a phytochemical-enriched cheese that caters to health-conscious consumers while also addressing the issue of food waste in the pumpkin processing industry.
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spelling doaj-art-dfe27c5f89664b408d0dcb4530639b802024-11-08T14:32:50ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172024-10-011421962410.3390/app14219624Pumpkin Pomace Powder as a Bioactive Powder Ingredient for Whey Cheese ProductionFlorin Daniel Lipșa0Eugen Ulea1Andrei-Mihai Gafencu2Andreea-Mihaela Florea3Roxana Nicoleta Rațu4Florina Stoica5Iuliana Motrescu6Gabriela Râpeanu7Department of Food Technologies, Faculty of Agriculture, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” Iasi University of Life Sciences, 3 Mihail Sadoveanu Alley, 700489 Iasi, RomaniaDepartment of Plant Science, Faculty of Agriculture, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” Iasi University of Life Sciences, 3 Mihail Sadoveanu Alley, 700489 Iasi, RomaniaDepartment of Plant Science, Faculty of Agriculture, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” Iasi University of Life Sciences, 3 Mihail Sadoveanu Alley, 700489 Iasi, RomaniaDepartment of Plant Science, Faculty of Agriculture, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” Iasi University of Life Sciences, 3 Mihail Sadoveanu Alley, 700489 Iasi, RomaniaDepartment of Food Technologies, Faculty of Agriculture, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” Iasi University of Life Sciences, 3 Mihail Sadoveanu Alley, 700489 Iasi, RomaniaDepartment of Pedotechnics, Faculty of Agriculture, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” Iasi University of Life Sciences, 3 Mihail Sadoveanu Alley, 700489 Iasi, RomaniaResearch Institute for Agriculture and Environment, “Ion Ionescu de la Brad” Iasi University of Life Sciences, 14 Sadoveanu Alley, 700490 Iasi, RomaniaDepartment of Food Science, Food Engineering, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Faculty of Food, 13 Science and Engineering, Dunărea de Jos University of Galati, 800201 Galați, RomaniaPumpkin, a nutritious and economical product with health benefits, is harvested worldwide. This study investigates the feasibility of incorporating fiber-, carotenoid-, and mineral-rich pumpkin pomace powder (PPP), a by-product of pumpkin processing, into whey cheese to enhance its nutritional profile without affecting consumer acceptability. The cheese was enhanced with varying concentrations of PPP (3% and 6%), and each variant was analyzed for its nutritional content, minerals, phytochemicals, color, and sensory properties. The results demonstrate that PPP addition increased the phytochemicals (45.44–82.83 mg GAE/100 g dw) and antioxidant activity (470.25–977.41 µmol TE/g dw) of the enriched cheese. The findings show that the addition of PPP improved the nutritional, color, and minerals of the enhanced whey cheese. The sensory evaluation indicates that with up to a 3% addition of PPP, the obtained cheese was well-received by consumers, who appreciated the subtle changes in flavor and the enhanced color of the product. The structural analysis reveals that including PPP improved the moisture retention of the cheese, contributing to a creamier texture, which is a desirable attribute in cheese. The study concludes that PPP can be effectively used to enrich cheese, offering a phytochemical-enriched cheese that caters to health-conscious consumers while also addressing the issue of food waste in the pumpkin processing industry.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/21/9624pumpkin pomace powdercarotenoidsantioxidantsnatural ingredientsvalue-added products
spellingShingle Florin Daniel Lipșa
Eugen Ulea
Andrei-Mihai Gafencu
Andreea-Mihaela Florea
Roxana Nicoleta Rațu
Florina Stoica
Iuliana Motrescu
Gabriela Râpeanu
Pumpkin Pomace Powder as a Bioactive Powder Ingredient for Whey Cheese Production
Applied Sciences
pumpkin pomace powder
carotenoids
antioxidants
natural ingredients
value-added products
title Pumpkin Pomace Powder as a Bioactive Powder Ingredient for Whey Cheese Production
title_full Pumpkin Pomace Powder as a Bioactive Powder Ingredient for Whey Cheese Production
title_fullStr Pumpkin Pomace Powder as a Bioactive Powder Ingredient for Whey Cheese Production
title_full_unstemmed Pumpkin Pomace Powder as a Bioactive Powder Ingredient for Whey Cheese Production
title_short Pumpkin Pomace Powder as a Bioactive Powder Ingredient for Whey Cheese Production
title_sort pumpkin pomace powder as a bioactive powder ingredient for whey cheese production
topic pumpkin pomace powder
carotenoids
antioxidants
natural ingredients
value-added products
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/14/21/9624
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