Development of functional whey cheese enriched in vitamin D3: nutritional composition, fortification, analysis, and stability study during cheese processing and storage

The Impact and Efficacy of Vitamin D Fortification

Vitamin D deficiency is a global health issue linked to various chronic diseases and overall mortality. It primarily arises from insufficient sunlight exposure, compounded by dietary limitations. Vitamin D fortification of commonly consumed foods has emerged as a viable public health intervention to address this deficiency. This review evaluates the impact of vitamin D food fortification on serum levels, intake, and health outcomes and explores the stability, bio-accessibility, bioavailability, and cost-effectiveness of such interventions. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed and Google Scholar, focusing on studies from 2015 to 2024. The criteria included primary research on healthy adults that addressed the effects of vitamin D fortification on health, intake, and serum levels, as well as the fortification's stability, bio-accessibility, bioavailability, and cost-effectiveness. Studies were extracted and analyzed according to PRISMA guidelines. The review included 31 studies from diverse geographic locations, revealing that fortifying dairy products, cereals, fats, oils, and other food items effectively increased serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. The fortification methods varied, with vitamin D3 showing superior efficacy over vitamin D2. Encapsulation techniques improved stability and bioavailability. Fortifying staple foods like milk and eggs proved cost-effective compared with pharmaceutical interventions. Vitamin D food fortification significantly enhances serum levels and intake, with dairy and cereals being the most frequently fortified. Standardized fortification guidelines are essential to ensure safety and efficacy. Ongoing evaluation and region-specific policies are crucial for effectively optimizing fortification strategies and addressing vitamin D deficiency.

Sustainable Approaches in Whey Cheese Production: A Review

Whey cheeses have been produced from the very early steps of cheesemaking practices as a sustainable way to utilize whey, which is the main by-product of cheesemaking. Traditional whey cheeses, manufactured with similar processes, are Ricotta, Ricotta salata or Ricottone, and Ricotta fresca in Italy; Anthotyros, Myzithra, Manouri, Xynomyzithra, and Urda in Greece; Urda in Serbia and Romania as well as in other countries such as Israel; Lor in Turkey; Anari in Cyprus; Skuta in Croatia and Serbia; Gjetost and Brunost in Norway; Mesost and Messmör in Sweden; Mysuostur in Iceland; Myseost in Denmark; Requeijão in Portugal; and Requesón in Spain and Mexico. The production of whey cheese is based on the denaturation of whey proteins by heating to 88–92 °C. The specific processing conditions and aspects of the microbiology of whey cheeses are discussed. The special characteristics of whey cheeses, which are high pH and high moisture content, make them susceptible to microbial growth. Due to the limited shelf life of these products, extended research has been carried out to extend the shelf life of whey cheese. The sustainable preservation approaches, such as modified atmosphere packaging, addition of herbs and/or plant extracts, and bio-preservation methods are reviewed. Moreover, novel whey cheeses focused on functional properties have developed during the last 10 years.

Exploring the Potential of Sustainable Acid Whey Cheese Supplemented with Apple Pomace and GABA-Producing Indigenous Lactococcus lactis Strain

This study aimed to utilize two by-products, acid whey and apple pomace, as well as an indigenous Lactococcus lactis LL16 strain with the probiotic potential to produce a sustainable cheese with functional properties. Acid whey protein cheese was made by thermocoagulation of fresh acid whey and enhancing the final product by adding apple pomace, L. lactis LL16 strain, or a mixture of both. The sensory, the physicochemical, the proteolytic, and the microbiological parameters were evaluated during 14 days of refrigerated storage. The supplementation of the cheese with apple pomace affected (p ≤ 0.05) the cheese composition (moisture, protein, fat, carbohydrate, and fiber), the texture, the color (lightness, redness, and yellowness), and the overall sensory acceptability. The addition of the presumptive probiotic L. lactis LL16 strain decreased (p ≤ 0.05) the concentration of glutamic acid, thus increasing γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) significantly in the acid whey cheese. The supplementation with apple pomace resulted in slightly (p < 0.05) higher counts of L. lactis LL16 on day seven, suggesting a positive effect of apple pomace components on strain survival. The symbiotic effect of apple pomace and LL16 was noted on proteolysis (pH 4.6-soluble nitrogen and free amino acids) in the cheese on day one, which may have positively influenced the overall sensory acceptance.

Development of Innovative Vitamin D Enrichment Designs for Two Typical Italian Fresh Cheeses: Burrata and Giuncata

The aim of this research was to develop innovative cheeses fortified with vitamin D3 (VD3). Formulation studies and analyses of textural properties and chemicals were carried out for these developments. Two traditional Italian varieties of cheese (giuncata and burrata) were studied. For giuncata, the fortification of milk for cheese production provided a VD₃ retention level of 43.9 ± 0.6% in the food matrix. For burrata, the VD₃ ingredient was incorporated into the creamy inner part after mixing, maintaining the textural quality of the product (adhesiveness 4.3 ± 0.4 J × 10^-3; firmness 0.7 ± 0.0 N; and cohesiveness 0.8 ± 0.2). The optimized enrichment designs allowed to obtain homogenous contents of VD₃ during the production of giuncata (0.48 ± 0.01 µg/g) and burrata cheeses (0.32 ± 0.02 µg/g). Moreover, analyses revealed the high stability of VD₃ during the storage of the two fortified cheese types (2 weeks, 4 °C). These fortification designs could be implemented at an industrial scale to obtain new cheese types enriched in VD₃ and thus contribute to the reduction in VD deficiency prevalence.