Nutritional Composition and Sensory Quality of Iron Fortified Fruit Cheese

Fruits are protective foods as they are rich in vitamins and minerals though they are highly perishable because of high moisture. It is possible to ensure their extended shelf life through preserved products such as fruit cheese. Fortification of food with iron salts is an effective strategy to address global iron deficiency problem. With this in view, iron fortified fruit cheese were developed as they are rich in organic acids which enhance iron absorption. Preparation of fruit cheese using guava and pineapple pulp was standardized and these were fortified with iron salts. These were subjected to nutritional and sensory evaluation. Nutritional composition indicated the following range of values per 100 g of product, protein, 1.6-1.8 g; fat, 4.6-5.2; calcium, 49-52.5 mg; phosphorus, 45-52.1. Iron in the fortified fruit cheese was found to be 20.6-20.8 mg/100 g product, whereas in non fortified fruit cheese, it was 0.1-1.9 mg/100 g. Guava cheese fortified with ferrous fumerate had highest sensory acceptance whereas ferrous sulfate fortified guava cheese had higher iron bioavailability (18.6%). Pineapple cheese had good sensory characteristics and with no colour change on fortification with iron salts. The iron bioavailability did not vary much between the fortified samples (17.2% to 18.3%) in pineapple cheese. Therefore, it can be inferred that both guava and pineapple cheese are compatible food vehicle for iron fortification.