# Pumpkin Pomace Powder as a Bioactive Powder Ingredient for Whey Cheese Production
## 3 Results and Discussion
### Sensorial Analysis of PPP-Supplemented Cheese Samples  
The sensory evaluation of the developed cheeses was conducted using a seven-point hedonic scale. Figure 4 presents the mean ratings derived from the sensory evaluation. Sensory quality encompasses the examination of organoleptic attributes, such as visual appearance, sectional appearance, odor, scent, hardness, adhesiveness, color, taste, aftertaste, and overall evaluation. The pumpkin pomace-added cheese received favorable ratings from panelists concerning its aspect, color, scent, taste, and overall acceptability. The RCPPP3 and RCPPP6 samples displayed a dried granular structure with a delicate and refreshing flavor. The cheese samples with a higher level of PPP (6.0%--RCPPP6) had the lowest scores in terms of aroma, smell, taste, aftertaste, and total scores, while they had the highest scores for appearance, color, and texture. The PPP, which absorbs more water from the cheese milk, could be the reason for this. The addition of 6% pumpkin powder during cheese making led to an increase in the overall percentage, and it caused a rise in the texture characteristics of the cheese, specifically in hardness and adhesiveness. This resulted in the formation of granular texture and an increase in stiffness in the final product. Pumpkin addition enhances the aroma due to its content of carotenoids and sugars, which are responsible for the pumpkin's flavor. Overall, the smell and aroma scores remained above the acceptable limit, with a score of >6.0. The aftertaste varied for both supplemented sample cheeses; RCPPP6 exhibited a lower and distinct aftertaste perception, probably due to the higher PPP addition. Regarding texture, the addition of PPP to cheese had a notable impact on the hardness score. This effect is directly related to the results obtained from the textural instrumental analysis. The PCA biplot, shown in Figure 5, provides a visual representation of the positions of the three cheese samples (plain versus those flavored with PPP) based on the sensory attributes described in Figure 4. The first principal component (PC1) accounted for 41.66%  
Figure 4: Comparative diagram of the sensory attributes specific to PPP-supplemented cheeses. RCC: cheese without powder addition; RCPPP3 and RCPPP6: cheese with 3 and 6% PPP. of the variation and consisted of the two cheese samples with PPP. The second component was 17.22% of the total and consisted only of plain cheese. Hence, the two axes accounted for 58.88% of the overall variation. The attributes of appearance, sectional appearance, adhesiveness, color, and aroma strongly correlated in the first axis, F1. Similarly, the attributes of smell, hardness, taste, aftertaste, and overall assessment were also found to have a positive association in the same quadrant on the first axis, F1. As all the sensory qualities were solely associated with the same axis, F1, the plain cheese was considered neutral. The biplot analysis allows for the precise localization of the placements of the three cheese samples based on their sensory qualities. It also enables the differentiation between sensory attributes through positive correlations, as well as between sensory attributes and cheese samples. The color of the samples RCPPP3 and RCPPP6 was considered satisfactory when compared to the control. The current study found that adding PPP to cheese samples improved the orange color (Figure 6), which was liked very much by the panelists. In  
Figure 5: Principal Component Analysis (PCA) biplot of the position of the three cheeses (RCC, RCPPP3, and RCPPP6) for sensory attribute evaluation. terms of color and appearance, RCPPP6 (whey cheese with 6% pumpkin powder) had an intense orange color, which was appreciated by the panelists. The overall assessment scores indicate that the whey cheese was more acceptable with 3% of PPP than the cheese sample with 6% of PPP, maybe due to the use of 6% PPP producing a slightly bitter aftertaste. The experimental cheeses had complex smells and a stronger aroma.