Impact of Whey Protein-Based Active Edible Coating and Plant-Based Natural Essential Oils on the Quality Attributes of Soft Cheese

The current study was conducted to evaluate the impact of active edible coating and natural EOs on storage stability of soft cheese (SC). Whey powder (WP) based edible coating was developed for soft cheese respectively. Peppermint oil (PMO) and clove oil (CO) were used as active ingredient in soft cheese. Glycerol was added as plasticizer, xanthan gum to increase the viscosity, lecithin for emulsification of EOs in edible coating. Edible coating was applied on SC with brushing method. Soft cheese (T0=control; T1=edible coating of SC with WP; T2=SC containing 0.5% CO; T3=SC containing 0.75% CO; T4=SC containing 1.0% CO; T5=WP based edible coating of SC containing 0.5% CO; T6=WP based edible coating of SC containing 0.75% CO; T7=WP based edible coating of SC containing 1.0% CO; T8=SC containing 1.5% PMO; T9=SC containing 2.0% PMO; T10=SC containing 2.5% PMO; T11=WP based edible coating of SC containing 1.5% PMO; T12=WP based edible coating of SC containing 2.0% PMO; T13=WP based edible coating of SC containing 2.5% PMO) was analyzed for physicochemical parameters, color value, water activity (aw), texture profile, antioxidant activity, total viable count (TVC), proteolysis and sensory attributes during 30 days of storage at 2-5°C. SC and butter sample containing edible coating and natural EOs shows significant (p<0.05) results. Highest value of moisture (79.55%) was noted in T9 SC sample while the lowest moisture (74.33%) was noted in control (T0) SC. Highest value of protein (13.55%) was observed in T12 while the minimum protein (13.30%) value was observed in control (T0) SC. Texture profile of SC and butter also affected significantly due to edible coating and EOs. SC and butter with direct addition of EOs showed higher antioxidant activity as compared to other samples. TVC (cfu/g) was minimum in all samples of SC and butter as compared to compare to their control (T0) samples due to the effect of EOs and edible coating. Incorporation of natural EOs and edible coating significantly improved all the sensory characteristics of SC. Hence, it is concluded from the present study that storage stability of SC can be enhanced by using natural edible coating and natural EOs with better flavor and quality attributes as compared to SC and butter containing chemical or synthetic additives.