Evaluation of Natural Food Preservatives in Domestic and Imported Cheese

Abstract

In milk and milk products, a number of organic acids naturally occur. We investigated the contents of some naturally occurred food preservatives (sorbic acid, benzoic acid, propionic acid, nitrite, and nitrate) contained in domestic and imported cheeses to establish the standard for the allowable range of food preservatives content in cheese. 8 kinds of domestic precheeses (n=104), 16 kinds of domestic cured cheeses (n=204) and 40 kinds of imported cheeses (n=74) were collected. Each domestic cheese was aged for a suitable number of months and stored for 2 mon at 5℃ and 10℃. No preservatives were detected in domestic soft and fresh cheeses, except cream cheese. In case of semi-hard cheeses, 2-5 mg/kg of benzoic acid was detected after 1-2 mon of aging. In imported cheeses, only benzoic acid and propionic acid were detected. The average benzoic acid and propionic acid contents in semi-hard cheese were 8.73 mg/kg and 18.78 mg/kg, respectively. Specifically, 1.16 mg/kg and 6.80 mg/kg of benzoic acid and propionic acid, respectively, were contained in soft cheese, 3.27 mg/kg and 2.84 mg/kg, respectively, in fresh cheese, 1.87 mg/kg and not detected, respectively, in hard cheese, and 2.07 mg/kg and 182.26 mg/kg, respectively, in blended processed cheese.

Production of benzoic acid as a natural compound in fermented skim milk using commercial cheese starter

“…Benzoic acid was highly produced at 35°C, with content ranging from 0 to 14.55 mg/kg (Figure 1d). In a previous study, benzoic acid contents of berg, raclette, and Gouda cheese produced by the cheese starters used in the current study were 2.91, 2.12, and 3.61 mg/kg, respectively (Park et al, 2016). Benzoic acid was not detected at 0 h in any culture and was only detectable after 2 h of incubation in some cultures, suggesting that benzoic acid content was associated with the growth of lactic acid bacteria.…”

“…During fermentation, the growth of lactic acid bacteria reached up to 9.19 log cfu/mL, and the highest benzoic acid content was 2.38 mg/kg (Figure 1a). In a previous study, benzoic acid content of Caciocavallo cheese produced by TCC-3 and TCC-4 starter was 1.66 mg/ kg (Park et al, 2016). The growth of lactic acid bacteria in skim milk fermented by LH 13 starter, used for production of berg cheese, increased sharply at 40°C and pH sharply decreased at 40°C.…”

A Review of the Preservation of Hard and Semi-Hard Cheeses: Quality and Safety

“…The sorbate concentration necessary to inhibit microbial growth in cheese surface is around 300 mg/dm 2 , but knowledge regarding the taxonomy of the spoiling microbiota in each cheese variety is required to evaluate its effectiveness [ 93 , 94 ]. As their potential toxicity is low, these chemical additives are classified as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) compounds, because they are rapidly metabolized by biochemical pathways similar to those for fatty acids [ 95 ]. One of the main problems regarding the use of sorbates is the change in the flavor of cheeses [ 93 ].…”

“…Nitrates are effective in inhibiting Clostridium growth, but their reduction to nitrites can lead to risks to human health. When nitrate and nitrite maximum authorized levels are surpassed, these compounds can produce severe gastroenteritis with abdominal pain, blood in feces and urine, weakness, and unconsciousness [ 95 , 108 ]. At present, there is a marked tendency to replace nitrates with other preservation options in order to reduce the levels of nitrosamines in food products, which may be carcinogenic [ 86 ].…”

“…The Panel concluded that, for foods as currently consumed, the authorized levels were correct for ripened cheeses [ 109 ]. These additives can be added to cheese during ripening and storage as antifungal and antibacterial agents to avoid problems in ripened cheeses [ 95 ]. Moreover, propionic acid can be naturally present in many semi-hard cheeses, mainly in those in which propionic acid fermentation occurs.…”