Development of Eco-friendly Probiotic Edible Coatings Based on Chitosan, Alginate and Carboxymethyl Cellulose for Improving the Shelf Life of UF Soft Cheese

The objective of the current work was to evaluate the efficiency of novel antimicrobial edible coatings based on chitosan (CH), sodium alginate (SA), and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) with an eco-friendly antimicrobial microcrystalline cellulose (AMCC) and probiotic strains (Bifidobacterium lactis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, and Lactobacillus casei). These edible films were applied for preservatives UF soft cheese for 45 days, instead of using traditional plastic sheet. The probiotic edible films were evaluated by using SEM, FT-IR tools. Additionally, the mechanical properties, water vapor permeability, water solubility, and antimicrobial properties were examined. The fashioned probiotic edible films had an antimicrobial effect against all tested microbes, the high microbial effect was observed for edible films with CH and SA. Furthermore, the coated cheese was evaluated chemically, microbiologically, and sensory during 45 days. The dry matter, protein, and fat contents of cheese treatments coated with SA and CMC decreased during the storage period. Additionally, the probiotic counts in all films were more than 8.0 log CFU/g after 45 days. It was also observed that the edible films containing SA and CH can preserve cheese from spoilage. Correspondingly, the sensory scores were indicated the overall acceptability of cheese in this study was SA, CMC, and CH followed by control. Therefore, the formulation of the antimicrobial edible coating can be applied for soft cheese to control the spoilage and maintain the stability of products.