title: Basil as functional and preserving ingredient in "Serra da Estrela" cheese.
abstract: Antitumor, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of basil were studied, along with its characterization in phenolic compounds, organic acids and soluble sugars. The results placed basil as a valuable candidate for functionalization and conservation of food products, maintaining their nutritional properties, while increasing their shelf life and potential health effects. The basil leaves were then incorporated in "Serra da Estrela Cheese", either in its dehydrated form or as a decoction. The cheeses were then subject to a nutritional evaluation, being characterized for their fatty acids, minerals and CIE color parameters. To assess the combined effects of plant incorporation and storage time, a 2-way ANOVA was used to process the results, further analysed through a linear discriminant analysis. Overall, basil leaves provided antioxidant activity to the cheeses, reduced the moisture, and preserved the unsaturated fatty acids and proteins. Comparing both incorporation types, the decoctions had a higher functionalizing and conservative effect.
authors.affiliation: Mountain Research Centre (CIMO), Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 1172-855 Bragança, Portugal; Department of Nutrition and Bromatology II, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Plaza Ramón y Cajal, s/n., 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Márcio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carocho
authors.affiliation: Mountain Research Centre (CIMO), Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 1172-855 Bragança, Portugal.
authors.forename: Lillian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Barros
authors.affiliation: Mountain Research Centre (CIMO), Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 1172-855 Bragança, Portugal; REQUIMTE/Department of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Oporto, Rua Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: João C M
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Barreira
authors.affiliation: Mountain Research Centre (CIMO), Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 1172-855 Bragança, Portugal; Centre of Chemistry, University of Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ricardo C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Calhelha
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Physiology, Institute for Biological Research "Siniša Stanković", University of Belgrade, Bulevar Despota Stefana 142, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia.
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soković
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Bromatology II, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Plaza Ramón y Cajal, s/n., 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Fernández-Ruiz
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Investgación en Polifenoles (GIP), Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno, 37007 Salamanca, Spain.
authors.forename: Celestino Santos
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Buelga
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Bromatology II, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, Plaza Ramón y Cajal, s/n., 28040 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Morales
authors.affiliation: Mountain Research Centre (CIMO), Polytechnic Institute of Bragança, Campus de Santa Apolónia, 1172-855 Bragança, Portugal. Electronic address: iferreira@ipb.pt.
authors.forename: Isabel C F R
authors.initials: IC
authors.lastname: Ferreira
mesh_terms: D002611:Cheese / Q000032:analysis*; D018649:Ocimum basilicum / Q000737:chemistry*; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000737:chemistry*
keywords: Functionalization; Natural additives; Ocimum basilicum L.; Shelf life increase; “Serra da Estrela” cheese