Kashk and Doogh: The Yogurt-based National Persian Products

In this mini-review article, two important dairies which can be considered as functional foods from west and center of Asia, particularly Iran, have been discussed. Doogh and kashkh are considered as national drinks in Iran, and have tremendous health benefits. The goal of this manuscript is to survey the principal roles of Doosh and Kash as natural products in the modern era. All relevant information was searched for terms of Doogh, Kashk, black kashk, and traditional drinks from reliable databases, such as PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. Doogh is the national Iranian traditional fermented drink produced from diluted yoghurt in dairy manufacturing units. Doogh, an acidic drink, is flavored with dried mint and rose or other spices. It may provide high quality protein, vitamins, calcium, and minerals such potassium and magnesium. It is a good source of probiotics, the healthy bacteria that may aid the gut, and improve the immune system. The most important microbes in Doogh are Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbriuekii sp. bulgaricus. Kashk is a typical dairy product served in the Middle East, mainly in Iran, made from sour milk. It is available as a liquid or in a dried form, which is important to be soaked and softened before it can be utilized in cooking. Numerous alcohols, aldehyds, alkenes, alkanes, esters, sulfur compounds, FFAs, ketones, and terpenes were detected in dried kashk, and the most common volatile compounds reported in kashk samples were two sulfur compounds (carbon disulfide, disulfide dimethyl), two alkanes (tetradecane, hexadecane), one terpene (dl-limonene), one aldehyde (nonanal), and methyl naphthalene. Both Doogh and kashk are dominant sources of protein and minerals in comparison with milk with ability to hold them longer, which can be considered as functional foods.