Effects of gaseous ozone treatment on the mite pest control and qualitative properties during ripening storage of pecorino cheese

Abstract

BACKGROUND Ripened cheeses, such as pecorino, are susceptible to mites and molds contamination on the crust area that must be removed before the product can be marketed. This study investigates the effectiveness of gaseous ozone treatment in the control of microbiological and mite growth without negatively affecting product quality. RESULTS Cheese samples were treated with gaseous ozone at 200 and 300 ppb for 8 h per day (overnight) for 150 days in storage rooms under controlled conditions (12 °C and 85% relative humidity). The results showed that ozone at 200 ppb limits the growth of mites starting from 25 days of storage and significantly reduced bacteria, molds, and yeasts counts starting from 75 days of storage. Concerning the physicochemical and qualitative parameters evaluated during ripening (weight loss, moisture content, dry weight, ash, fat, protein, total nitrogen, color, non‐destructive firmness), no significant differences were shown between the control samples and ozone treatment at 200 ppb. Sensory analysis (consumer test) also showed no specific defects with the ozone‐treated samples. It was observed that the ozone treatment at 300 ppb had limited microbiological growth and no alteration of sensory aspects but did not have the same positive impact on some aspects of overall quality, compared with ozone treatment at 200 ppb. CONCLUSION The use of gaseous ozone treatments during ripening of pecorino cheese can potentially offer an excellent solution for the control of mite growth, while preserving the quality and sensory characteristics of the product. For this reason, this technique could be very useful for commercial purposes. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Studies on the Control of Dermanyssus gallinae via High-Voltage Impulse

“…Even at a concentration of 10 ppm, which is 200 times higher than the upper limit of 0.05 ppm established by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the suppression of D. gallinae through ozone was notably low. There are few studies on the use of ozone for mite control, but in an experiment on mite control in food storage, it was reported that a CT (cumulative exposure time product) of 192,000 resulted in 99% mortality and a CT of 10,800 suppressed mite growth [50,51]. The CT in this trial was 600, which appears to be too low to control D. gallinae.…”

Recent trends in ozone sensing technology

“…Also, ozone is employed to control pests, microbial growth, germination, and diseases in many crops and agricultural products. [21][22][23][24] As an air pollutant, ozone impacts human health by causing pain in the chest, cough, irritation, and obstruction in the throat, escalating bronchitis, asthma, and emphysema. Due to the high effect of air pollutants on public wellness, the atmosphere, and the broad economy, the air grade in urban areas is now a matter of great interest worldwide.…”

“…Also, ozone is employed to control pests, microbial growth, germination, and diseases in many crops and agricultural products. 21–24…”

Natural Control Perspectives of Dermanyssus Gallinae in Poultry

“…Volatile compounds show an alternative to acaricides for the control of the parasite population (Roy et al, 2018). Different attractive, repulsive, and chemical substances are used to attract and kill D. gallinae (Kim et al, 2018;Lee et al, 2019;Grasso et al, 2023). Comprehensively, the tendency of attraction and repulsion of different pheromones, kairomones, and essential oils against D. gallinae has been discussed in this review article.…”