Formulation of Cream Cheese Powder with Kecombrang Extract: Effects on pH, Antioxidant Activity and Sensory Properties

Background: The growing interest in functional dairy products has encouraged the development of innovative shelf-stable dairy ingredients with added health benefits. Cream cheese powder represents a promising functional food ingredient due to its versatility in food formulations and extended shelf life. However, conventional cream cheese powder lacks bioactive compounds which support functional claims. Torch ginger (Etlingera elatior), locally known as kecombrang, is rich in antioxidant compounds and has been widely studied as a functional plant-based ingredient. Despite its antioxidant potential, the application of kecombrang extract in dairy-based powdered products remains limited. Therefore, incorporating kecombrang extract into cream cheese powder offers an opportunity to enhance its functional properties, particulary its antioxidant activity, while formulating value added dairy products. Methods: This study aimed to characterize the antioxidant activity, pH and sensory properties of cream cheese powder produced formulated with varying concentrations of kecombrang extract and maltodextrin and to determine the optimum formulation using design expert software with a simplex lattice design (SLD). The research was conducted in two phases. The preliminary phase involved defining the objective function as well as identifying the dependent variables (pH, antioxidant activity and sensory properties) and independent variables (kecombrang extract and maltodextrin concentrations) used in the optimization model. Cream cheese was converted into powder using the foam-mat drying method, with maltodextrin serving as the foaming and carrier agent. The second phase focused on formulation optimization to identify the best combination of kecombrang extract and maltodextrin based on the selected responses. Result: The results demonstrated that substitution with kecombrang extract significantly influenced the functional and sensory characteristics of cream cheese powder. Optimization analysis revealed that the best formulation was achieved with the addition of 12.5% kecombrang extract and 10% maltodextrin. This formulation maintained the pH at approximately 6.0, increased antioxidant activity by up to 50% and achieved an overall sensory score of 3.8. These findings indicate that kecombrang extract can be effectively utilized to enhance both functional and sensory attributes of cream cheese powder, highlighting its potential as a functional dairy-based food ingredient.