Total Phenolic Content, Microbial Content and Sensory Attributes Evaluation of White Soft Cheese Incorporated With Mint (Mentha Spicata) Leaf Extract

Mint herb (Mentha spicata L.) is widely known as a good source of bioactive compounds. Therefore, this study aimed to use the aqueous mint leaf extract (AMLE) in white soft cheese processing and to evaluate the total phenolic content, microbial content and sensory attributes of the resulting cheese. Dried mint leafs were extracted with water to obtain an aqueous extract. Prior to white cheese processing, different concentrations (1, 2 and 3%, v/v) of AMLE were added to the milk. White soft cheese containing AMLE had significantly higher phenolic compounds than the control cheese and the highest phenolic content (96.0 mg GAE / 100 g cheese) was found in white soft cheese samples containing 3% of AMLE. The results of microbial analysis showed that the microbial growth in white soft cheese tends to decrease with increasing AMLE concentration and no microbial growth was observed in white soft cheese containing 3% of AMLE. The sensory evaluation revealed that the addition of AMLE had no significant effect on the overall acceptance of all types of cheese manufactured.