Fortification of queso fresco, cheddar and mozzarella cheese using selected sources of omega-3 and some nonthermal approaches

Queso fresco (QF), cheddar (C) and mozzarella (M) were fortified with omega-3. Three stages of cheese-making were evaluated for fortification: after milk pasteurisation, during curdling and salting. Better retention was observed with microencapsulated oil, after milk pasteurisation (8.49 mg/g) in (QF), during salting (8.69 mg/g) in (C), and during curdling (2.69 mg/g) in (M). Nonthermal approaches such as high hydrostatic pressure (HHP), pulsed electric fields (PEF) and ultrasound (US) were used to increase the retention of omega-3. In (QF), PEF and US achieved the highest retention (5.20–5.12 mg/g); whereas in (C) and (M), HHP was the best method (5.49 mg/g and 6.64 mg/g). Some characteristics of (QF) using sonication changed after processing; higher weight (up to 19% more), increased moisture (5%), and increased pH (6.35). During storage (QF) and (M) demonstrated faster spoilage (4 °C), even though PEF was able to delay microbial growth in (QF) and HHP in (M).