The purpose of the study was to explore the possibility of utilization of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) as a novel preservative in cheese. EGCG has strong antioxidant and antimicrobial properties and may be commercially exploited as a natural antioxidant and preservative in cheese like products which are highly susceptible to lipid oxidation.
The study was conducted to evaluate the possibility of using EGCG as a natural antioxidant and preservative in cheese. Kalari, a hard and dry cheese, was used as a model and treated with different concentrations of EGCG (0, 0.05 and 0.10 per cent) and aerobically packaged within low-density polyethylene pouches and assessed for oxidative stability and storage quality under refrigerated (4 ± 1°C) conditions.
EGCG showed a significant (p < 0.05) effect on the lipid oxidative stability as the treated products exhibited significantly (p < 0.05) lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (milligram malonaldehyde/kg) values. A significant (p < 0.05) effect was also observed on the microbiological characteristics of the products, as treated products showed significantly (p < 0.05) lower values for total plate count (log cfu/g), psychrophilic count (log cfu/g), yeast and mould count (log cfu/g) and free fatty acid (% oleic acid) values. Coliforms (log cfu/g) were not detected throughout the storage period. Significantly (p < 0.05) higher scores were observed for various sensory parameters of the treated products. EGCG successfully improved the oxidative stability and storage quality of Kalari.
The results suggest that EGCG might be useful to the dairy industry as an efficient alternative to synthetic antioxidants and preservatives.
