• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.324-331
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• 2019

The objective of this study was to evaluate physicochemical and sensory properties, the texture profile, and antioxidant activity of ginseng extract-supplemented quark cheese as a new cheese product intended to improve public health. After addition of less than 1.0% ginseng extract, the moisture content of quark significantly decreased, while fat and protein levels increased, although microbial counts and lactose and ash contents were not affected significantly (p<0.05). In terms of color, $L^*$ values decreased significantly with increasing concentration of ginseng extract, while $a^*$ values increased significantly (p<0.05). The results of texture profiling showed that cohesiveness and springiness were unaffected, whereas hardness, gumminess, and chewiness increased significantly. The 2,2'-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) radical-scavenging activities of the cheese fortified with 0%, 0.5%, or 1.0% of the ginseng extract were $4.22%{\pm}0.12%$, $20.14%{\pm}1.34%$, and $56.32%{\pm}1.54%$, respectively. The results of sensory analysis indicated that bitterness, ginseng odor, and aftertaste significantly improved with increasing concentration of ginseng extract (p<0.05). However, there was no significant difference in the overall quality attributes of quark cheese between the no-supplement control and samples with less than 0.5% of the ginseng extract (p>0.05), suggesting that these products could help to promote public health as functional foods.