PREPARATION AND EVALUATION OF A NOVEL ULTRAFILTERED MILK- SOFT CHEESE, CONTAINING FULL-FAT CORN GERM OF HEALTHY BENEFITS

  In developing   new food products, it is important to balance the quantity and quality of protein and  fat  , that offered nutritional  value , health benefits, good chemical  characteristics, and acceptable sensory properties . In this  respect, a novel UF-soft cheese containing  full-fat corn germ was made from ultrafiltered buffaloes milk  ( concentrated factor, CF 3)  with the use of different levels (1%,2% and 3%) of full-fat corn germ  as a source of  unsaturated fatty acids, USFAs , in order to balance the protein  quality      (amino acids pattern) of corn germ , and modify the pattern of the fatty acids composition of buffaloes milk fat in favour of USFAS. The cheese were analyzed chemically and examined organoleptically  ,  throughout storage period (up to 30 days). Fatty acids and amino acids composition were assessed in fresh samples. The results clearly show that UF-soft cheese containing full-fat corn germ resulted in soft cheese close of somewhat  composition and sensory quality to that of the control cheese. Such UF-cheeses reveal that as full fat  corn germ increased , bad saturated fatty acids( SFA) , decreased , whereas USFAS ,especially beneficial oleic acid (C18 :1) and polyunsaturated fatty acids( PUSFs ) e.g ., omega – 6  lenoleic acid( C18 :2  )and omega -3 linolenic acid (C 18:3) increased. The ratio of omega-6 to omega -3 in UF –soft cheeses containing full -fat corn germ ranged from 2.1:1 to 2.3:1 ,which was found to be close to that of recommended healthy beneficial ratio (2:1). On the other hand, comparing the essential amino  acids pattern  of such UF- soft cheese with that of the Recommended Dietary Allowance ,RDA,  it will noticed that, buffaloes milk protein improves the quality of full- fat corn germ protein, particularly, histidine , isoleucine , phenylalanine +  tyrosin, and to a lesser extend  leucine , valine  and  therionine.  Generally speaking,the high nutritive value of  buffaloes milk protein in UF -soft cheeses containing full- fat corn germ makes it an  integral part of food intervention in many developing countries, especially in some tropical areas , where protein energy malnutrition problems are found among children and vegetarians, whose diet consists largely of plant sources (e.g. , corn , corn germ  and other cereals).