Nutrition Quality and Microbiological Safety of Novel Cottage Cheese

The study focuses on developing novel cott age cheese containing spices with acceptable sensory properties, increased biological value and extended shelf life.Thirty types of cheese with added fresh or dried parsley, dill, pepper, garlic and rosemary were produced.Characterisation of phenolic compounds, antioxidant capacity and antibacterial activity of spices and cheese samples were evaluated.The cheese containing fresh pepper and fresh and dried herbs showed excellent sensory properties, with the best results obtained with fresh sweet red pepper.Dry rosemary had the highest antioxidant and antibacterial activity due to high mass fractions of caff eic and rosmarinic acids as well as high mass fractions of fl avones and phenolic diterpenes.The plant extracts examined in vitro and in situ eff ectively reduce numbers of foodborne pathogens like Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes, and therefore have potential as natural preservatives and antioxidants.