Development and application of galactomannan and essential oil‐based edible coatings applied to “coalho” cheese

Abstract

Edible films and coatings have been proposed for food preservation. The coalho cheeses coated with galactomannan from Caesalpinia pulcherrima and Cymbopogon citratus essential oil (EO) were evaluated. Thus, the microbiological, physical–chemical, and weight loss aspects in the coated cheeses were analyzed during 20 days of storage. The treatment with 1.0% galactomannan and 0.2% EO obtained better stability; therefore, it was stored for 30 days at 4 ± 1°C. The extraction yield of galactomannan from C. pulcherrima was 25.4%. In EO, the main found compounds are α‐citral (41.49%), β‐citral (30.63%), and β‐mycrene (16.66%). In the analysis of cheese stability, the values for weight loss as a function of storage time varied from 2.52% to 25.62%. The moisture, pH and water activity, there was a statistical difference only for moisture. Therefore, edible coverage provided microbial reduction, physical–chemical stability, and sensory characteristics within the acceptance zone, being considered viable for the food industry. Practical applications The biopolymers extracted from the endosperm of the Caesalpinia pulcherrima seed, associated with the essential oil of Cymbopogon citratus, can be used as edible or biodegradable coatings in various food products. One of these products is rennet cheese, as it has an excellent nutritional composition and is conducive to the development of microorganisms, thus having a reduced shelf life. The use of coatings based on galactomannans and essential oil would make it possible to reduce the microbiological, physical, and sensory changes in these products, as well as the environmental impacts caused by non‐biodegradable packaging, being an alternative for replacing synthetic materials.

Effect of edible coatings and films enriched with plant extracts and essential oils on the preservation of animal‐derived foods

“…This trend was showed with the application of green tea and Pu‐erh EX in furcellaran‐sodium alginate coating to preserve Quark cheese (Pluta‐Kubica et al., 2021). Instead, other authors did not obtain significant differences to sensory analysis scores by adding Cymbopogon citratus EO to preserve Coalho cheese (Lima et al 2021) and by adding cinnamon EX to preserve curd Mileriene et al (2021).…”

Fortifikasi Serai (Cymbopogon citratus) pada Produk Susu Fermentasi sebagai Potensi Pangan Fungsional: Kajian Literatur

“…Beberapa peneliti sudah membuktikan bahwa serai dapat digunakan sebagai pelapis nabati atau edible film yang dapat memperpanjang daya simpan, meningkatkan tekstur, dan menekan pertumbuhan mikroba pada keju. Lima et al, (2021) telah melakukan penelitian terkait pelapisan makanan berbahan dasar galaktomanan dan ekstrak serai dalam pembuatan keju coalho. Penelitian tersebut menggunakan 9 konsentrasi yang berbeda dan mendapatkan formulasi terbaik pada penambahan 1% galaktosa dan 0,2% ekstrak serai.…”

Plant gums as the functional compounds for edible films and coatings in the food industry: A review

“…The antimicrobial edible packaging can be applied for cheese to control the chemical and microbial spoilage and retain the stability of products. Lima et al 134 prepared a coating for coalho cheese (stored for 30 day at 4 C ± 1 C) based on galactomannan, Cymbopogon citratus EO, and polysorbate 80. Coatings with 1% and 2% of galactomannan had the lowest weight loss than other coatings during 20 days.…”