Cheese in general represents products with moderate acidity and its nutritional value and ease of digestion that its acceptable taste helped it to be more accepted by many consumers and because of the idea of ​​rejecting chemical drugs because of the health risks and side effects so researchers turned to functional foods by making sources of medicinal plants an alternative treatment for many diseases or Therefore, attention has turned to the production of fortified therapeutic cheeses, especially cheeses fortified with medicinal plants which improve consumer health by stimulating blood circulation there for the Studies have proven the pharmacological efficacy of many medicinal plants as they possess antioxidant qualities and have a preventative effect on many diseases [1]. Medicinal plants are also considered a food source because they contain useful chemicals through their physiological and therapeutic effect [2,3], where the ginger plant is the best example of safe medicinal plants and is a perennial plant where its roots spread horizontally Branched, dark yellow in color and a distinctive aromatic smell [4,5], It contains compounds that contribute to preventing the oxidation of fats such as (Zingerne, Gingerdiol, Gingerol) by maintaining the effectiveness of antioxidant enzymes such as (Glutathione peroxidase, catalaseperoxide dismutase) [2,6], a plant rich in fiber, ash and minerals. And vitamins such as niacin, riboflavin, thiamine and ascorbic acid and it works to reduce cholesterol and sugar in the blood by impeding their absorption in the intestine and improving the work of the insulin enzyme [7,8].      

Aim

This study aimed to Manufacture of soft white cheese fortified with ginger and studying its biochemical and sensory properties. An experiment was conducted to feed laboratory rats on this cheese fortified with ginger and to know its nutritional effect and follow up on the increase and decrease in weight.

Raw Materials

Fresh cow's milk was obtained from Al-Jazeera Dairy Company in the city of Mosul, dry microbial rennet was used which was prepared from (Meito Sangyo Co.Ltd), pure iodine-free table salt was used, ginger was obtained from the local markets of the city of Mosul.

How to Make Soft Cheese

Soft white cheese was made in the traditional way by pasteurizing raw cow's milk at 72 °C for 15 seconds then cooling at 35 °C and adding rennet to it and then coagulation occurred within 35-45 minutes The curd was cut longitudinally and transversely than filtered salted and cooled.

Chemical Analyzes of Cheese

Moisture capacity as per the method described in [9] and the lipid was estimated by Kerber method according to the method described in [10], protein was estimated by the Kieldahl method described in [11] and carbohydrates were estimated according to the method described in [12], The sensory evaluation was carried out according to the Table suggested by Lhekoronye and Neoddy, [13].

Biological Experiment

The 15 male rats of the species (Sprague-Dawley) were used and obtained from the College of Veterinary Medicine and they were fed on a vegetable diet described in [14] and obtained from the Agricultural Research Department of the Poultry Department where a little distilled water was added to make A dough that is easy to mix with cheese fortified with ginger It was dried in an oven at a temperature of (50°C) and it was packed in polyethylene bags and kept in the refrigerator at a temperature of (5°C) for the duration of the experiment.

Biological Experiment Design

The experimental animals were divided in to 5 groups and each group consisted of 3 animals, The feeding dose was divided twice every 12 hours, The feeding continued for 28 days, Rats’ weights were recorded at the beginning middle and end of the experiment and Blood tests were taken at the beginning and end of the experiment and the first group was fed on the standard diet only It is called the control treatment The second group was fed 850 g diet supplemented with 150 g soft white cheese called treatment (A) and the third fourth and fifth group was fed 850 g diet supplemented with 150 g soft white cheese fortified with ginger in concentrations (0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 g) respectively and it was called the treatment (A1, A2, A3) and respectively.

Chemical Analyzes Conducted on the Blood of Rats

The components of the blood images were estimated using the (Kit) supplied from the company of (Biolabo Teco Diagnostics) where serum glucose was estimated according to Echmidt et al. and cholesterol, triglycerides (TG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were estimated (HDL) in the blood serum according to the equation described in [15] and the estimation of low-density lipoprotein for cholesterol (LDL) based on the equation mentioned by Faas et al. [16] and the estimation of very low-density lipoprotein for cholesterol ( VLDL) based on the equation described in Tietz [17]. The data were statistically analyzed using a completely randomized design according to Al-Rawi and Khalaf Allah.

Noticed from the Table 1, a decrease in moisture for all treatments in concentrations of ginger were used compared with the treatment of soft cheese (A) which recorded the highest value which amounted to (51,20%) The reason is due to the high solids in ginger which exceeds 90% which led to the absorption of moisture from the cheese and this is consistent with [18]. And an increase in the percentage of protein, carbohydrates and ash was noted in the ginger-fortified cheese treatments compared with the soft cheese (A) treatment, where treatment (A3) recorded the highest value reaching (20.82 -1.65 - 5.80%) respectively The reason is due to a decrease in humidity which leads to a high concentration of total solids including protein and ginger contains mineral elements and an increase in the concentration of chemicals in it, This is agree with Ibironke and Alakija [19], [3] and it was noted that there were no significant differences in the percentage of fat and the reason was the low fat in ginger.

The results of the sensory evaluation showed that treatment (A2) gave the highest degrees of sensory evaluation and to reached (78%), the reason is that ginger contains flavor compounds, this is in agreement with Asim et al., [20], where they found that cheese added to high levels of ginger recorded the best results (Table 2).

Biological Experiment

It was noticed from the Table 3 a significant decrease at the level (p≤0.05) and there was a decrease in the average weights of rats fed on cheese fortified with ginger in the middle and end of the experiment and the treatment (A3) got on lowest decrease at the end of the experiment which amounted to (60g) compared with the control treatment in which the highest rise occurred and to reached (70g) at the end of the experiment.

Table 1: Chemical Analysis of Fresh Cow's Milk Used in The Production of Soft White Cheese

Table 2: The Percentage (%) of Chemical Analysis of Soft White Cheese and Cheese Fortified with Ginger

The different letters in the Table above indicate the presence of significant differences at the level (p≤0.01)

Table 3: Sensory Evaluation of Soft White Cheese and Cheese Fortified with Ginger

Table 4: Average Weights of Rats at The Beginning Middle and End of the Experiment

The numbers in the Table represent an average of three replicates

Table 5: Show The Level of Glucose (mg/dl) in the Blood of Rats at The Beginning and End of the Experiment

The different letters in the above table indicate the presence of significant differences at the level (p≤0.05)

Table 6: Shows The Level of Cholesterol, Triglycerides (TG), Low-Density Lipoproteins (LDL), Very Low-Density Lipoproteins (VLDL) And High-Density Lipoproteins (HDL) In The Blood of Rats at The Beginning and End of the Experiment

The reason is that the ginger plant contains phenolic compounds such as (Shogaol) Which works to reduce triglycerides and cholesterol in the blood as well as ginger works to inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol by increasing the synthesis of bile acids in the liver, this is in agreement with Shewita and Taha and Mojani et al. [21,22] (Table 4).

Where a significant decrease was observed at the level (p≤0.05) in blood glucose for all treatments compared with the control treatment, Treatment (A3) recorded the lowest values at the end of the experiment and amounted to (65.50 mg/dL) and the control treatment recorded the highest values at the end of the experiment and amounted to (96,50 mg/dL), The reason is that ginger contains polyphenols and flavonoids that lower blood glucose as well as contain effective compounds that inhibit the hepatic phosphorylase enzyme that works to break down glycogen, This is consistent with the findings of the researchers Shewita and Taha and Moradi-podeh et al. [21,23] (Table 5).

Table 6 shows the level of cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL) in the blood of rats at the beginning and end of the experiment.

A significant decrease was observed at the level (p≤0.05) in blood cholesterol for all treatments compared to the control treatment, Treatment (A3) recorded the lowest values at the end of the experiment which amounted to (85 mg/dL) and the control treatment recorded the highest values at the end of the experiment which amounted to (122 mg/dl), The reason is attributed to the presence of antioxidants, phenols, fiber and the absence of cholesterol in the composition of ginger, this is consistent with what was reached Abdel Magied et al. [24]. A significant decrease was observed at the level (p≤0.05) in (TG) in blood of rats for all treatments and the treatment (A3) recorded the lowest values at the end of the experiment which amounted to (56 mg/dL) and the control treatment recorded the highest values at the end of the experiment which amounted to (76 mg/dL), The reason is due to the presence of antioxidants, fiber, volatile fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acids and the absence of cholesterol in the composition of ginger, this is consistent with what was reached. The Table 6 also shows a significant increase at the level (p≤0.05) in (HDL) in the blood of rats for all treatments and the treatment (A3) was recorded The highest values at the end of the experiment which reached to (69.2 mg/dL) and the control treatment recorded the lowest values at the end of the experiment which amounted to (59mg/dL), The reason is attributed to the presence of antioxidants, phenols, tannins and volatile oils in the composition of ginger that is improve metabolism, absorption and enzyme action , this is consistent with what was reached Moradi-podeh et al. [23]. A significant decrease was also observed at the level (p≤0.05) in (LDL) and (VLDL) in the blood for all treatments compared with the control treatment and the treatment (A3) was recorded The lowest values at the end of the experiment which amounted to (5, 10mg/dL) respectively and the control treatment recorded the highest values in the (LDL) and (VLDL) at the end of the experiment which amounted to (30 , 17,5 mg/dL) respectively, The reason is due to the presence of antioxidants, phenols, fiber and tannins in the composition of ginger which collectively stimulate digestive enzymes, This is consistent with the findings of Abdel magied et al. and Moradi-podeh et al. [23,24].

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