Fermented Cashew Nut Cheese Alternative Supplemented with Chondrus crispus and Porphyra sp.

This study is aimed at the development of a fermented cashew nut cheese alternative supplemented with Chondrus crispus and Porphyra sp. and the evaluation of the impact of seaweed supplementation through analysis of physicochemical, microbiological, and organoleptic properties of the developed food products. The total lipid content decreased with the supplementation with seaweeds. Crude protein content also slightly decreased, while elemental analysis showed that mineral and trace element (Ca, K, Mg, Na, Fe, I, Se, and Zn) content increased when C. crispus was added to the paste. The analyses of color and textural (TPA) attributes showed that these were significantly influenced by adding seaweeds to the cashew paste. Generally, the microbiological results comply with the different European guidelines for assessing the microbiological safety of ready-to-eat foods placed on the market, except for aerobic mesophilic bacteria and marine agar counts. Flash Profile analysis allowed for distinguishing sample attributes, showing an increased flavor complexity of the plant-based cheese alternatives supplemented with seaweeds. Overall, the study indicates that seaweed enrichment mainly influenced the physicochemical and sensory characteristics of plant-based cheese alternatives.