Kishk - a dried fermented milk cereal mixture. 1. Composition of gross components, carbohydrates, organic acids and fatty acids

An investigation of the compositional quality of 25 commercial samples of L ebanese Kishk was undertaken. The results of chemical analysis (g.100 g(-1) on dry matter basis [DMB]) of the samples were within the following ranges : protein, 14.7-21.4; fat, 2.6-11.5, ash, 4.1-9.3; and carbohydrates, 61.0- 76.8. The moisture and salt contents ranged between 6.8 and 10.8, and 0.95 and 4.48 g.100 g(-1), respectively, and the pH averaged 3.8. The carbohydra te content calculated by difference (total solids - [protein + fat + ash]) was slightly greater than by the summation method (galactose + lactose + fi bre + starch). Lactic and acetic acids were identified to be the major orga nic acids present in the Kishk samples, including an appreciable amount of propionic acid. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to map the rela tionships between these samples; PC 1 of the organic acid data accounted fo r only 37 % of the total variation separating the Kishk samples high in pro pionic, lactic and uric/formic acids, and those with high acetic, orotic, p yruvic and citric acid contents. Profiling the fatty acid content in the Ki shk samples did not conclusively identify the type of milk used, but the ra tios of C-4:0/(C-6:0 + C-8:0) and C-12:0/C-10:0 provided appropriate mappin g of Kishk samples made with goat's mill, and possibly adulteration with co w's milk at a level of 20 %. (C) Inra/Elsevier, Paris.