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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Functional Olive Oils Infused with Mediterranean Herbs Enhance Cheese Preservation and Nutritional Profile
Souha Ammar 1
,
 
Hamza Gadhoumi 2
,
 
Nejia Farhat 1
,
 
Asma Mejri 1
,
 
Salma Nait-Mohamed 1
,
 
Kamel Hessini 3
,
 
Moufida Saidani Tounsi 2
,
 
Nabil Ben Youssef 1
,
 
Fethi Ben Slama 4,5
,
 
Hédia Manai-Djebali 1
 
 
 
More details
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1
Laboratory of Olive Biotechnology, LR15CBBC05, Biotechnology Center of Borj-Cedria, BP 901, 2050, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia
 
2
Laboratory of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, LR15CBBC06, Biotechnology Center of Borj-Cedria, BP 901, 2050, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia
 
3
Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Taif University, Taif, 21944, Saudi Arabia
 
4
Department of Nutrition, Higher School of Health Sciences and Techniques of Tunis, 4021 Tunis, Tunisia
 
5
Biochemistry and Biotechnology Research Laboratory, LR01ES05, Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, 2092 Manar II, Tunis, Tunisia
 
 
Submission date: 2025-03-16
 
 
Acceptance date: 2025-07-30
 
 
Corresponding author
Hédia Manai-Djebali   

Laboratory of Olive Biotechnology, LR15CBBC05, Biotechnology Center of Borj-Cedria, BP 901, 2050, Hammam-Lif, Tunisia
 
 
 
KEYWORDS
cheese
functional food
medicinal plants
oil enrichment
 
TOPICS
Gas chromatography
Liquid chromatography
Functional foods
Food fortification
Dairy products
Oils
Flavours/Aromas
Lipids / Lipid oxidation products
Phenolic compounds
 
ABSTRACT
The demand for functional foods has driven research into bioactive-enriched dietary products. In this study, olive oil was enriched with phenolic-rich herbs, including oregano, rosemary, basil, and thyme, using an optimized ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) process. The resulting infused oils were evaluated for their phenolic content, antioxidant capacity, oxidative stability, and effects on cheese preservation. Rosemary-infused oil exhibited the highest total phenolic content (556.1 mg GAE/kg) and oxidative stability in the Rancimat test (induction time of 82.25 h), while oregano- and basil-infused oils had the strongest DPPH radical scavenging capacity (IC50 of 2.36–2.38 mg/mL). Cheese stored in these plant-infused oils showed reduced lipid oxidation and microbial growth over 21 days. The lowest content of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) was recorded in the cheese immersed in rosemary- and thyme-infused oils (0.53 and 0.66 mg MDA/kg cheese, respectively); whereas the untreated cheese had TBARS value of 2.98 mg MDA/kg cheese. Microbiological analysis revealed a reduction in counts of coliforms and yeasts and molds, particularly in the cheese treated with oregano- and basil-infused oils. These results highlight the potential of bioactive-enriched olive oils as natural preservatives and functional ingredients, extending cheese shelf life while enhancing its nutritional value. This study provides a foundation for developing innovative functional foods that integrate plant-derived antioxidants and antimicrobials into widely consumed products.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors extend their appreciation to Taif University, Saudi Arabia, for supporting this work through project number TU-DSPP-2024-115.
FUNDING
This research was funded the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (LR15CBBC06) and by Taif University, Saudi Arabia, Project No. TU-DSPP-2024-115.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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