Nutritional and Food Safety Characteristics of Jameed—A Traditional Dairy Product of Drylands

Abstract

Jameed is a traditional dried dairy product in Jordan that is known under different names in the Middle East, Turkey, Central Asia, China, and Mongolia. It has been produced in the region for centuries and makes a significant contribution (up to 20%) to the income of small-scale traditional dairy processors who are based in sheep-producing districts. This study aims to assess the nutritional value of Jameed as a model for traditional dried fermented dairy products and to highlight the safety of the product quality and some of the health risks that may arise. For this purpose, 80 samples of Jameed were collected from the market covering all regions of the Kingdom of Jordan. The samples were analyzed for nutritional value and health risks by standard and approved methods. Results show that the total solids were 84.57%, with a large variation from 73 to 92%. Producers use a lot of salt to control elevated acidity during the drying of Jameed. The salt concentrations in collected samples were 15.68%. The average acidity was 6.79%. Moreover, farmers heavily use antibiotics to control mastitis without observing milk withdrawal. The residues of antibiotics were detected in 50.65% of the analyzed samples. The samples show large variations in measured values, reflecting differences in processing methods, homogeneity, and standardization.