Low-Phosphate Processed Cheese Diminishes Diclofenac-Induced Hepato-Renal Injury in Male Rats

Traditional emulsifying salts used in processed cheesemaking contain high concentrations of sodium and phosphorus, which may represent a health threat to some individuals, especially with chronic kidney and liver diseases. Therefore, it is urgent to search for safe alternatives to commercial phosphate-containing emulsifiers to be used in the manufacture of low-phosphorus processed cheese spread (LP-PCS). Thereby, the present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of administrating LP-PCS on renal and liver functions and kidney histopathological examination in diclofenac (DF)-treated rats. Consequently, 4 LP-PCS cheeses were manufactured using plant polysaccharides (PP), milk fat globule membrane (MFGM), milk protein concentrate (MPC), or sodium citrate (CIT) as alternatives to commercial emulsifiers. Cheeses coded as PP-, MFGM-, MPCand CIT-cheese. Besides, cheese with commercial emulsifier was manufactured and served as control (CONT). The experiment lasted for 8 weeks. Results revealed that DF treatment led to significant damage in liver and kidney functions. Both PPand MFGMcheeses appeared to have a protective effect against the side effects induced by DF treatment. The protective effect was evident as animals administrated such cheese had biochemical parameters and renal histopathological structure similar to those of healthy animals. In conclusion, the results presented in this study indicated promising protective effects of PPand MFGMcheeses against hepatic and renal damages induced by diclofenac administration in rats. Thus, it could be recommended to use PP or MFGM as an efficient replacer to commercial emulsifiers usually used in the production of processed cheese spread.