# Pumpkin Pomace Powder as a Bioactive Powder Ingredient for Whey Cheese Production
## 3 Results and Discussion
### Mineral Profile of PPP-Supplemented Cheese Samples  
The data reported in Table 6 demonstrate that the inclusion of PPP resulted in an elevation of the mineral content (Ca, P, K, Mg, Zn, Na, and Fe) in the PPP-added samples in comparison to the control cheese. The findings suggest that the addition of PPP had a significant effect on the mineral composition of the cheees compared to the control samples (\(p<0.05\)). An increase in mineral content was noticed as the level of powder enrichment rose. The mineral content showed a positive correlation with the amount of PPP added. The differences between the cheese samples in terms of the amounts of Mg, Fe, Na, P, K, Ca, and Zn were found to be statistically significant (\(p<0.05\)). The increased concentrations of minerals observed in the PPP-supplemented cheese samples could be attributed to the high mineral content present in pumpkin powder (Table 1).  
The cheese samples were enriched with important elements, such as calcium and phosphorus. The RCPPP6 sample, which included 6% PPP, had the greatest quantity of Ca at 276.75 \(\pm\) 0.22 mg/100 g.  
Regarding phosphorus content, cheese with 6% PPP exhibited the highest concentration of P, followed by cheese with 3% PPP. Furthermore, the cheese that was fortified with 6% PPP had the highest levels of potassium (Na) and magnesium (Mg), while the cheese containing 3% PPP had lower amounts. In contrast, the control sample had the lowest levels of these minerals.  
There were statistically significant variations (\(p<0.05\)) in the iron, zinc, and potassium content between the samples with PPP added and the control sample. The addition of 3% and 6% of PPP (RCPPP3 and RCPPP6) resulted in increased levels of Zn, Fe, and Na compared to the control cheese. The study's results demonstrate that the use of powdered  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c} \hline \hline
**Parameter** & **RCC** & **RCPPP3** & **RCPPP6** \\ \hline Calcium (Ca, mg/100 g) & 275.75 \(\pm\) 0.21 b  & 276.05 \(\pm\) 0.35 a  & 276.75 \(\pm\) 0.22 a  \\ Phosphorus (P, mg/100 g) & 180.15 \(\pm\) 0.07 b  & 180.75 \(\pm\) 0.21 b  & 181.65 \(\pm\) 0.22 a  \\ Potassium (K, mg/100 g) & 128.25 \(\pm\) 0.50 b  & 129.7 \(\pm\) 0.14 b  & 132.3 \(\pm\) 0.26 a  \\ Magnesium (Mg, mg/100 g) & 17.3 \(\pm\) 0.85 c  & 19.8 \(\pm\) 0.01 b  & 23.25 \(\pm\) 0.49 a  \\ Zinc (Zn, mg/100 g) & 1.41 \(\pm\) 0.01 b  & 1.42 \(\pm\) 0.02 b  & 1.44 \(\pm\) 0.01 a  \\ Iron (Fe, mg/100 g) & 0.52 \(\pm\) 0.02 c  & 0.82 \(\pm\) 0.01 b  & 1.20 \(\pm\) 0.01 a  \\ Sodium (Na, mg/100 g) & 101.15 \(\pm\) 0.34 c  & 102.82 \(\pm\) 0.35 b  & 104.2 \(\pm\) 0.29 a  \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}  
* Superscripts with different letters within a row are significantly (\(p<0.05\)) different.  
\end{table}
Table 6: Mineral composition of the control and PPP-supplemented cheees samples.  
PPP raw material in cheese significantly augmented the mineral content in the final product, increasing it by a factor of 0.36 to 34.39 times. Table 1 demonstrates that freeze-dried pump-kin powder contains significant amounts of magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (\(p\)), potassium (K), and sodium (Na). Therefore, PPP is appropriate for inclusion as a bioactive component in food products.  
[PERSON] et al. [55] obtained a cream cheese with different levels of 0, 1, 2, and 4% carrot powder, and the obtained results revealed richness in minerals, so carrot powder significantly increased the mineral content of cheese, which was proportional to the amount of carrot powder added. In other studies, [PERSON] et al. [56] discovered that including spirulina powder in processed cheese led to higher levels of calcium, potassium, magnesium, iron, and zinc compared to cheese without fortification. Also, [PERSON] et al. [57] found that soft cheese fortified with quinoa flour (0%, 1%, 2%, and 3%) contained higher amounts of minerals compared with the control.