Chia Seed Mucilage Edible Films with <i>Origanum vulgare</i> and <i>Satureja montana</i> Essential Oils: Characterization and Antifungal Properties

Films made with mucilage obtained from defatted chia seeds and incorporated with oregano (Origanum vulgare) and savory (Satureja montana) essential oils (0.1,1.0 and 1.5% v/v) were prepared to evaluate their physical, optical, mechanical and antifungal properties as well as their microstructure. The use of different types of essential oils (oregano or savory) only had a significant effect on the light transmittance, total color difference (∆E) and antifungal activity of the films. However, the kind of essential oil was not significant for the physical, optical and mechanical properties of the films. Increasing concentrations of essential oils up to 1.5% v/v led to a decrease in tensile strength (TS) and elongation at break (EB). Antifungal properties significantly increased with the incorporation of essential oils (p O. vulgare and S. montana essential oil was screened by agar disc-diffusion assay against five mold strains commonly found in foods. Films containing 0.1% v/v of essential oils were not active, whereas films containing 1.0 and 1.5% v/v were very effective at inhibiting the growth of the tested mold strains (38.01–77.66%). Scanning electron microscopy showed that incorporation of essential oils caused some heterogeneity in the films and the surface displayed no pores or cracks as well as a better integration of oregano EO in the polymeric network. The results pointed out that the incorporation of oregano and savory essential oils as a natural antimicrobial agent has appreciable potential for the development of films as active packaging to control mold contamination and increase food safety

Inhibitory activity of aromatic plant extracts against dairy-related Clostridium species and their use to prevent the late blowing defect of cheese

10 Pág.The aim of the present work was the selection of aromatic plant essential oils (EOs) and/or ethanolic extracts (EEs) to prevent the late blowing defect (LBD) of cheese caused by Clostridium spp. EEs resulted more effective than EOs to inhibit dairy-borne Clostridium spp. in vitro. Savory, hyssop, lavender and tarragon EEs, which showed the lowest minimal inhibitory concentration against Clostridium tyrobutyricum, were selected to study the prevention of LBD caused by this bacterium in cheese. Addition of savory and lavender EEs to cheese milk delayed LBD by 2 weeks, but at the end of ripening these cheeses showed similar clostridial vegetative cells counts, spoilage symptoms and propionic, and butyric acids levels than blown control cheese. Tarragon EE, with the highest content in caffeic acid, also delayed LBD by 2 weeks, but it was more effective to inhibit Clostridium, since cheese with tarragon EE showed minor LBD symptoms, lower vegetative cells count and lower concentrations of propionic and butyric acids than the rest of cheeses made with EEs. This fact could be also attributable to the greater number of antimicrobial terpenes (1,8-cineole, 4-terpineol, α-terpineol, isoelemicin, methyl eugenol, and methyl trans-isoeugenol) detected in this cheese. This is the first report on the application of EEs to control C. tyrobutyricum in cheese.The authors acknowledge financial support from project RTA 2015-00018-C03-01 and RTA 2015-00018-C03-02 (Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, Spain). Muñoz-Tebar N. is grateful for the support of the predoctoral contract of the UCLM (Spain) and the European Social Fund (ESF, European Union). Ortiz de Elguea-Culebras G. also thanks to the ESF and the Operational Program for Youth Employment 2014/2020 of Castilla-La Mancha (JCCM; Spain).Peer reviewe

Enrichment of sheep cheese with chia (Salvia hispanica L.) oil as a source of omega-3

This study evaluated the viability of using oil extracted from Salvia hispanica L. seeds as a source of omega-3 for sheep's cheese enrichment. Two concentrations (3 and 5 g/L) of chia oil prepared as emulsions stabilized with calcium caseinate were assayed in pressed sheep's milk cheese, and their physicochemical, microbiological and organoleptic parameters were evaluated throughout the 32-day ripening period. Sheep's milk coagulation parameters during cheese making were not affected by addition of the oil emulsion. The fortification with the emulsion had a positive impact on cheese yield, fat, dry matter and α-linolenic acid content. Moreover, total bacteria and lactic acid bacteria growth were not inhibited in the cheeses containing the highest oil concentration, confirming the hypothesis that oil addition would not interfere with the normal ripening process. Regarding the sensory analysis, the chia oil enriched cheeses showed a good acceptance by the judges.Sin financiación4.006 JCR (2019) Q1, 28/130 Food Science & Technology1.313 SJR (2019) Q1, 27/327 Food ScienceNo data IDR 2019UE