It may smell fishy, but a team of US scientists is working on creating a goat cheese made with fish oil, an underused but health-packed food.
In a study published in the February issue of the Journal of Food Science, goat cheese was shown to be a successful carrier of fish oil -- an underused ingredient because of its strong odor and aftertaste and a finicky food that tends to oxidize quickly.
Fish oil has more balanced proportions of omega-3 fatty acids compared to other sources like flax and algal oil, the researchers said.
In addition to being commonly consumed and boasting unique properties that seem to protect fish oil from going off, soft goat cheese was chosen because it has a lower fat content than other cheeses, making it a healthier choice, scientists said.
Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to help with everything from heart health, cognitive function and repairing damaged nerves to regenerate.
However, fish oil supplements have also been shown to block chemotherapy from attacking tumors, a finding that prompted Dutch scientists last year to advise cancer patients to stop taking them.
