Antioxidant Activity, Texture Attributes, and Hedonic Properties of Fortified Cheese with Moringa Leaf Extract

The aim of this research was to evaluate the antioxidant activity, textural attributes and hedonic properties of cheese resulting from Moringa leaf extract fortification. Moringa leaf extract was fortified in the five treatment groups, 1000 ml each with different concentrations, namely 0% (P0); 2% (P1); 4%(P2); 6%(P3) and 8%(P4). The research method used one-way analysis of diversity (at p<0.05) and continued with the Duncan test using the SPSS version 25 system. The results showed that increasing the level of Moringa leaf extract had no effect on pH, water content, and fat but significantly affected protein and ash content (p<0.05). In the color aspect, the L* and a* values significantly decreased (p<0.05), but the b* values significantly increased. Texture profile analysis showed a significant increase in hardness, guminess, cohesiveness, springiness, and chewiness (p<0.05). The antioxidant capacity of cheese (mg/L Gallic Acid Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity (GAEAC)) significantly increased, namely 33.60 ± 0.49; 48.07±0.33; 52.71±0.51; 59.18 ± 0.54 and 65.73 ± 0.34. The results of the hedonic analysis showed that the color, aroma, and taste of cheese were preferred up to the level of 2%-4%. Still, their preference significantly decreased above that concentration level (p<0.05). Finally, increasing the concentration of Moringa leaf extract in cow’s milk cheese products can provide positive functional value, especially in increasing the antioxidant activity of cheese.