The incorporation of plant materials in Serra da Estrela cheese improves antioxidant activity without changing the fatty acid profile and visual appearance

Serra da Estrela' cheese is a Portuguese delicacy, which has been produced for centuries from the milk of cattle pasturing in the protected Serra da Estrela natural park. Transforming this cheese into a functional food would be a huge benefit for the market and the consumer. Decocted extracts, dried chestnut flowers and lemon balm plants were incorporated into the cheese to functionalise it, granting antioxidant activity to this foodstuff. The functionalised cheeses showed higher antioxidant activity, especially lipid peroxidation inhibition. The incorporation of dried plants appeared to be more effective than using decoctions, but the influence of the plant species was less observable. Furthermore, the fatty acids profile of the cheeses was also determined through gas chromatography. C18:1 and C16:0 were the most abundant fatty acids; saturated fatty acids prevailed over the unsaturated ones. Between the control and the incorporated samples no significant differences were found. In addition, the external colour was measured through a spectrophotometer for lightness, yellowness and redness. There were some differences recorded for each samples' colour. In general, the results indicated that the functionalisation of this exquisite dairy product with natural plant extracts provided beneficial characteristics, both for consumers (healthier product) and producers (added-value products). Practical applications The food industry is always searching for new products which are cheaper to produce and healthier for the consumer, withstanding longer storage periods. Serra da Estrela' cheese was incorporated with chestnut flowers and lemon balm dried plants and their respective decoctions in order to achieve antioxidant properties.