Increased presevation of sliced mozzarella cheese by antimibrobial sachet incorporated with allyl isothiocyanate

Abstract

There is an increasing tendency to add natural antimicrobials of plant origin into food. The objective of this work was to develop a microbial sachet incorporated with allyl isothiocyanate (AIT), a volatile compound of plant origin, and to test its efficiency against growth of yeasts and molds, Staphylococcus sp. and psychrotrophic bacteria on sliced mozzarella cheese. Another objective was to quantify the concentration of AIT in the headspace of cheese packaging. A reduction of 3.6 log cycles was observed in yeasts and molds counts in the mozzarella packed with the antimicrobial sachet over 15-day storage time. The sachet also showed an antibacterial effect on Staphylococcus sp., reducing 2.4 log cycles after 12-day storage. Psychrotrophic bacteria species were the most resistant to the antimicrobial action. The highest concentration of AIT (0.08µg.mL-1) inside the active packaging system was observed at the 6-day of storage at 12 ºC ± 2 ºC. At the end of the storage time, AIT concentration decreased to only 10% of the initial concentration. Active packaging containing antimicrobial sachet has a potential use for sliced mozzarella, with molds and yeasts being the most sensitive to the antimicrobial effects

Devices containing allyl isothiocyanate against the growth of spoilage and mycotoxigenic fungi in mozzarella cheese

“…At the end of the experiment, there was a 3.6 log CFU/g difference between the control (~6 log CFU/g) and treated cheese (~2.4 log CFU/g). Our results corroborate with the inhibition obtained by Pires et al (), demonstrating that antimicrobial devices that release ≥2 μL/L AIT may be applied to avoid mould growth in mozzarella cheese.…”

“…At the end of the experiment, there was a 3.6 log CFU/g difference between the control (~6 log CFU/g) and treated cheese (~2.4 log CFU/g). Our results corroborate with the inhibition obtained by Pires et al (2009), demonstrating that antimicrobial devices that release ≥2 μL/L AIT may be applied to avoid mould growth in mozzarella cheese. Sachets containing oxygen scavengers or ethanol have been currently used in hermetically packaged foods, and the same system could be used for volatile compounds such as AIT.…”

“…This has led to a great public pressure to replace these preservatives by natural alternatives that are harmless to human health (Militello et al, 2011). Allyl isothiocyanate (AIT) is produced from Brassica juncea seeds, and it is the main antimicrobial component of brown mustard essential oil, which can inhibit fungal growth in various food matrices (Azaiez, Meca, Manyes, & Fernández-Franzón, 2013;Pires et al, 2009;Ugolini, Martini, Lazzeri, D'Avino, & Mari, 2014). AIT is volatile at room temperature with a vapour pressure of ~3.5 mmHg (Sekiyama, Mizukami, Takada, & Numata, 1993), and it can be used as a fumigant in bioactive packaging systems to inhibit fungal growth and, thereby, increase the shelf life of foods (Azaiez et al, 2013;Hontanaya, Meca, Luciano, Mañes, & Font, 2015).…”

Methods to extend the shelf‐life of cottage cheese – a review

“…; Pires et al . ; Alrabadi ). For cottage cheese, only one study was found; it used antimicrobial sachets consisting of high‐absorption‐polymer resin film incorporating the antimicrobial agent allyl isothiocyanate (0.5–1.0%, v/w).…”

Development of an active packaging with molecularly imprinted polymers for beef preservation

“…to 110 ng/mL. 19 The theoretical volatile antimicrobial concentration of AITC was 3.26 μg/mL, 46 and the films containing 8.16 μL of AIT per cm 2 of surface area could significantly inhibit the growth of Salmonella. 47 The previously reported antimicrobial doses were much higher than the antimicrobial concentration in AITC-MIPs active packaging film, but the 0.004 μL of AITC per cm 2 of AITC-MIPs active packaging film could provide the prominent preservation effect.…”