Extension of Cheese Shelf–Life Using Chitosan–Procyanidin Composite Film with High Antioxidant Activity

Abstract

The chitosan–procyanidin composite film (CS–PC film) with high antioxidant activity was prepared for cheese packaging. The DPPH scavenging rate of the CS–PC film was up to 84.34%, with 2.5 times higher than that of the CS–control film. The CS–PC film had great capacity to block UV–vis light with obvious absorption at 280 nm. In the migration testing, 3.39% of PC in film migrated to the water simulant. The properties of cheese packaged by CS–PC film at 5 °C for 30 days, including gas composition, sensory evaluation, color, pH value, total number of colonies and peroxide value, were measured. As to cheese packaged by CS–PC film, the peroxide value (1.21 meq/kg) and total number of bacterial colonies (1.04 cfu/g) were significantly lower than that of other materials. The cheese packaged with CS–PC film received the best sensory evaluation. The shelf life of cheese packaged with CS–PC film was extended to 156 days, which is 111 days longer than that of PET film. In conclusion, CS–PC film is an excellent packaging material for packaging cheese.