Investigation and production of functional cheese containing Caspian Kilka fish oil

The aim of this research was encapsulating of Caspian Kilka fish oil and its application in cheese to produce functional product. Kilka fish is one of the most abundant and most industrial fish species in the Caspian Sea that despite its many health benefits, it has a small share of its catch for human consumption and is used most for poultry feed. The fatty acids of Kilka fish oil used in this study, in addition to having myristic (3.74±0.04), palmitic (19.97±0.06 %), palmitoleic (4.81±0.06 %), stearic (4.2±0.03 %), and linoleic fatty acids (21.67±0.05), have significant amounts of long chain fatty acids, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)(6.6±0.04) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (16.83±0.06).The amount of 1 and 2 percent of Kilka oil were added to the milk with the aid of the process aid and was turned to the powder using a spray dryer. Two processed cheeses were prepared by adding 5% of the produced powders. Tests of Coliform, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus Coagulase positive, Mold, Yeast and Salmonella were performed that was according to the Iranian national standard. By adding Kilka fish oil to cheese, it is possible to produce products with 0.2 ± 0.042% and 0.32 ± 0.056% EPA and 0.37 ± 0.028% and 0.66 ± 0.042% DHA which is part of the daily nutritional needs of consumers. The color and smell of functional cheeses with blank cheese were not statistically significant. However, the flavor of two types of functional cheeses with blank cheese was statistically significant, but both were in good group. In terms of general sensory evaluation, cheese samples were examined at 0, 15 and 30 days after production, which did not show any significant differences at these intervals.