Goat cheese enriched with Omega 3s

It comes from the United States and it is different from classic foods and foods that contain Omega-3: it is goat cheese that is good for your health. A group of researchers from the University of Maine (Orono, United States) has obtained a goat cheese that can provide high levels of Omega-3 EPA and DHA. The news comes from the pages of the Journal of Food Science, on which the results of the study were published that demonstrated the effectiveness of methods to produce this fortified cheese.

Health through Omega-3s

Ensuring the body has a good supply of Omega-3s is critical to keeping it healthy. Years of research have shown that these fatty acids promote heart, brain, and joint well-being, reduce inflammation, and fight diseases such as asthma, allergies, and cancer. Although these nutrients are also found in some plant-based foods, such as nuts and flaxseeds, the best sources of Omega-3s are fatty fish, such as mackerel, sardines, herring, salmon and tuna. 100 grams of salmon, for example, contain 2.3 grams of these valuable nutrients, while the same amount of sardines, mackerel or fresh tuna contains 2.2, 2.0 and 1.6 grams, respectively. For this reason, eating at least one serving of fish per week may be sufficient to ensure the amounts of Omega-3 required by the body.

Omega-3 enriched foods

Next to fish, the food industry offers foods such as milk, creamers, eggs and bread fortified with Omega-3s. However, according to the International Cod Liver Omega-3 Foundation-an organization formed by nutrition experts-many of these products contain only small amounts of these nutrients. In contrast, data collected by researchers at the University of Maine have shown that their goat cheese contains sufficient amounts of Omega-3 to exert a beneficial effect on health.

The validity of goat cheese

The cheese in question was made by adding 60, 80 or 100 grams of fish oil for every 3600 grams of goat milk before curdling. The resulting cheese was analyzed for composition, Omega-3 content, oxidation stability, color, pH, and consumer acceptability. In doing so, the researchers found that all these cheeses contained fat levels of similar to each other, but higher than that of the cheese obtained without adding fish oil. Omega-3 content, averaging 127 milligrams of EPA and DHA in a 28-gram potion, was also similar in all 3 cheeses. The addition of fish oil did not alter the other characteristics analyzed, and the perishability of the final product was found to be quite comparable to that of traditional goat cheese. For their part, the 105 consumers who tested the product liked it.

A new product to secure Omega-3 requirements

The totality of the data collected shows that the addition of fish oil does not adversely affect either the perishability of the product or its use by consumers. The cheese obtained by the U.S. researchers could therefore be a valuable source of omega-3 fatty acids.  

Source 

1. Hughes BH, Brian Perkins L, Calder BL, Skonberg DI, "Fish Oil Fortification of Soft Goat Cheese," J Food Sci. 2012 Feb 6. doi: 10.1111/j.1750-3841.2011.02560.x. [Epub ahead of print].