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Optimizing Spirulina platensis, Chlorella vulgaris microalgae and curcumin application in functional cheese production and investigating its physicochemical properties and sensory evaluation by RSM

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Abstract

In this study, Spirulina platensis and Chlorella vulgaris microalgae along with curcumin powder were used to enrich lactic cheese as this subject has not been preceded in the literature. To evaluate the characteristics of the enriched product, total phenolic content, antioxidant activity, iron content, cell viability due to the reduction of cytotoxic conditions and sensory evaluation were measured. Analyses of the raw materials showed that while the phenolic content was higher in curcumin and spirulina powder than chlorella (respectively), the latter showed higher antioxidant activity than the formers. These additives caused a synergistic effect and resulted in a significant increase in antioxidant activity, iron and total phenolic content of the fortified cheese. According to sensory evaluation, the cheese enriched with Spirulina platensis (3%), Chlorella vulgaris (1.467%) and curcumin (1%), optimized by RSM through targeting highest antioxidant activity and iron content, had a higher score than the control cheese. Cell viability assay proved the cheese with the above-mentioned formula could protect mesenchymal stem cells of human adipose tissue (AD-MSC) against cytotoxic conditions successfully. The outcome of this research opens a new horizon for the fortification of cheese with the natural ingredients, especially for the poor countries with the problem of nutritional contents in their staple food.

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Data Availability

The data is available upon request to the corresponding author.

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Acknowledgements

The Authors are thankful to Mihan Dairy City Company for their contribution in providing raw materials of cheese samples.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Research Center for Life & Health Sciences & Biotechnology of the Police, Directorate of Health, Rescue & Treatment, Police Headquarter, Tehran, Iran

    Shirin Jalili & Seyed Amin Mousavinezhad

  2. Institute of Police Equipment and Technologies, Policing Sciences and Social Studies Research Institute, Tehran, Iran

    Shirin Jalili

  3. Quality Control Department of Mihan Dairy City Company, Eslamshahr, Iran

    Sina Aryan

  4. Department of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Nutrition Science and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Sina Aryan & Hedieh Moeini

  5. Department of Food Nanotechnology, Research Institute of Food Science and Technology (RIFST), km 12 Mashhad-Quchan Highway, PO Box: 91895-157-356, Mashhad, Iran

    Danial Dehnad

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Contributions

SJ and SAMN conceptualized this study and designed the experiments. SA and HM performed the experiments. SA analyzed the data and wrote the original draft. DD co-wrote the paper. All authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Shirin Jalili or Sina Aryan.

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Procedures with participation of humans were approved by “Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences Ethics Committee”, having the Approval Number of IR.SBMU.TEB.POLICE.REC.1402.026.

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Jalili, S., Aryan, S., Mousavinezhad, S.A. et al. Optimizing Spirulina platensis, Chlorella vulgaris microalgae and curcumin application in functional cheese production and investigating its physicochemical properties and sensory evaluation by RSM. Food Measure 18, 1144–1157 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-023-02231-w

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