Document Type : Research article
Authors
1
Researcher of Milk Hygiene, Food Hygiene Department, Zagazig branch, Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI), Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Egypt.
2
Researcher of Microbiology, Microbiology Department, Zagazig branch, Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI), Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Egypt.
Abstract
The most widely consumed soft cheese in Egypt, particularly in the rural, is karish cheese. When cheese is produced, handled, distributed, or stored in unsanitary conditions, it could become contaminated by many types of microorganisms. The spoilage of cheese and/or foodborne diseases are caused by contamination with various microorganisms. A total of 120 Karish cheese samples were collected from El Sharkia City supermarket, Egypt. The microbiological tests performed were: aerobic plate count (APC), Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (Staph. aureus) counts. The recorded results showed that the mean of APC, E. coli and Staph. aureus counts were 6.9, 3.45 and 4.3 log10 cfu/g, respectively. Researchers have investigated edible packaging materials for essential oils encapsulated in biopolymers to offer an effective and secure method of food preservation. In this study, to increase the shelf-life of Karish cheese, chitosan-based emulsions consisting of liposomes infused with thyme essential oil (TEO) were explored. Antimicrobial activities were assessed via Staph. aureus and E. coli counts over 4 weeks. High counts of Staph. aureus and E. coli recorded by the fourth week, for all cheese samples either coated or not coated with chitosan solutions. However, samples coated with TEO 1% and liposomal chitosan emulsions encapsulated TEO 0.5 and 1% v/v decreased in microbial counts up to 4 weeks, while samples coated with liposomal chitosan emulsions encapsulated TEO 2% occurred complete absence of Staph. aureus and E. coli at the end of the fourth week of storage. According to the findings, TEO 1% and liposomal chitosan emulsion encapsulated TEO 2% v/v may be promising natural solutions, with a satisfactory appearance to extend the shelf life, in addition to preserving the flavour of Karish cheese.
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