Herbs and spices have been used to fortify foods throughout history as preservatives, flavor and therapeutic agents. Although herbs and spices are low-cost commodities, they are nowadays valued as gold or jewels for many centuries. Herbs and spices were used by the ancient Egyptians and have been used for Centuries in India and China. Today, herbs and spices can be used to increase the acceptability of foodstuffs and improve their health. World Health Organization survey pointed that 70–80% of the world population depends on modern medicine mainly on herbal sources in their major healthcare (Chan, 2003). Moreover, 80% of population in developing Countries and up to 60% of the world’s population depends directly on herbs and plants for their medical benefits (Shrestha and Dhillon, 2003). The first scientific research on the influence of spices as preservative was presented in the 1880s and displayed the antimicrobial properties of cinnamon oil against Bacillus anthracisspores (Tajkarimi et al., 2010).
Also, herbs and spices have been utilized as food additives all over the world, not only to enhance the organoleptic properties of food, but also to increase the shelf life by decreasing or eliminating the foodborne pathogens (Lai and Roy, 2004). Several studies have recommended the use of dietary herbs and spices for their beneficial effects on human health through their antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and immune modulatory properties (Conn, 1995). A dietary guideline refers to the utility of herbs as excellent sources of antioxidants and as salt alternatives (Tapsell et al., 2006). Nowadays, dairy products are unique carrier that has been successfully used to deliver phytochemicals and other nutrients for health benefits in our nutrition food system (El-Sayed et al., 2015). Furthermore, addition of herbs and spices or its extracts to different dairy products make these products act as carrier for nutraceuticals. So that dairy industry should discover innovative ways to improve the functionality of traditional dairy products which might deliver important value and potential effects for consumers. You can read the full article here.
