Sacha Inchi (
Plukenetia volubilis) is a nut that has been grown in the Amazon Rainforest
and the high Andes Mountains of Peru for countless centuries. The oil of this nut, natural
source of omega 3, 6 and 9, has been recognized by its high antioxidant capacity in
humans. In this work, oil from Sacha Inchi was fortified with two commercial
antioxidants (Ecoprol 2020 and tocopherol) in order to prepare a fresh cheese from cow's
milk. The antioxidant capacities of Sacha Inchi and commercial antioxidants were used
as preservatives with the purpose to increase the shelf-life of fresh cheese besides
nutritional content. The factorial method was necessary to prepare seven formulations in
order to find the optimal concentration of the antioxidants added to Sacha Inchi oil and
the addition of this oil to the fresh cheese. A sensory analysis was performed to choose
the best formulation. The results showed that an oil formulation (F4) with tocopherol
(150 mg/kg of oil) and Ecoprol 2020 (1000 mg/kg of oil) displayed the lowest peroxide
values (PI: 2.6 ± 0.1 meq O2/kg of oil, p < 0.001) and it was able to reduce approximately
50% of fatty acid oxidation in Sacha Inchi oil in relation to the PI control. Then, F4 was
used to elaborate further nine formulations (F’1 – F’9), enriched with Sacha Inchi oil (1
to 4%) to prepare the fresh cheese. Microbiological analysis for all formulations were
performed (limits of mold, yeasts, coliforms,
salmonella
, and bacteria) in order to meet
the legal requirements of health and safety in Peru. The cheese taste acceptability was
determined through the sensorial evaluation, which reached 7.2 according to the 9-hedonic scale for F'5. Thus, an optimum fresh cheese was obtained from the formulation
(F’5) with 22.5g/L of salt and 2.5% of Sacha Inchi oil enriched with 150 mg/kg of
tocopherol and 1000 mg/kg of Ecoprol 2020. The cheese shelf-life was also evaluated,
increasing it up from 7 days to 16 days in refrigeration.
