Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Department of Food Hygiene, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
2
Department of Food Safety and Hygiene, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
3
Department of Food Hygiene, SR.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
4
Department of Food Hygiene, Shahrekord Branch, Islamic Azad University, Shahrekord, Iran
Abstract
The study evaluated the effects of Alyssum homolocarpum seed gum coatings containing black cumin (Bunium persicum Boiss.) essential oil (EO) and its nanoemulsion (NE) on the quality and shelf life of Iranian white cheese. Eight treatments, including an uncoated control, gum-only coating, and gum coatings containing 2–8% EO or 1.65–6.6% NE, were evaluated during 75 days of storage at 4°C. The NE showed a predominantly nanoscale droplet distribution, with 83.10% of the detected population at 190.10 nm, and contained 3.20 ± 0.09 mg GAE/g total phenolic compounds. The NE showed stronger antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus than Aspergillus niger, with lower MIC and MBC values. During storage, moisture loss, peroxide value, and TBARS increased significantly, while the coated samples generally showed lower changes than the uncoated and gum-only samples. At day 75, the 8% EO and 6.6% NE treatments showed lower peroxide values and TBARS than the control. The NE coatings also reduced microbial counts, with the 3.3% NE treatment showing a favorable combination of microbial control and sensory acceptability. At day 75, its taste and overall acceptability scores were both 3.33 ± 0.57, whereas the 6.6% NE treatment had a lower taste score of 2.04 ± 0.08. Overall, A. homolocarpum gum coatings containing B. persicum NE improved several quality and microbial characteristics of Iranian white cheese during refrigerated storage.
Graphical Abstract
Keywords
Journal of Food Safety and Science