Basil as functional and preserving ingredient in “Serra da Estrela” cheese

Antitumor, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of basil were studied, along with its characterization in phenolic compounds, organic acids and soluble sugars. The results placed basil as a valuable candidate for functionalization and conservation of food products, maintaining their nutritional properties, while increasing their shelf life and potential health effects. The basil leaves were then incorporated in "Serra da Estrela Cheese", either in its dehydrated form or as a decoction. The cheeses were then subject to a nutritional evaluation, being characterized for their fatty acids, minerals and CIE color parameters. To assess the combined effects of plant incorporation and storage time, a 2-way ANOVA was used to process the results, further analysed through a linear discriminant analysis. Overall, basil leaves provided antioxidant activity to the cheeses, reduced the moisture, and preserved the unsaturated fatty acids and proteins. Comparing both incorporation types, the decoctions had a higher functionalizing and conservative effect.

The authors are grateful to Queijos Casa Matias, Lda and Cantinho das Aromáticas, Lda. for providing the cheese and basil samples, respectively. The authors also acknowledge the Portuguese PRODER project No. 46577-PlantLact, the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support to the CIMO research centre (Pest-OE/AGR/UI0690/2014) and ALIMNOVA research group (UCM-GR35/10A). L. Barros, J.C.M. Barreira and R.C. Calhelha acknowledge the FCT for their post-doctoral grants (SFRH/BPD/107855/2015, SFRH/BPD/72802/2010 and SFRH/BPD/68344/2010). The Serbian Ministry of Education is also acknowledged for the Science and Technological Development Grant No. 173032.