The effect of Guar and Tragacanth gums as edible coatings in Cheddar cheese during ripening

Abstract

AbstractThe aim of this study was to evaluate a Guar/Tragacanth gum‐based edible coating used on Cheddar cheese during ripening for 90 days. Five samples of Cheddar cheese blocks were coated by different coating materials in triplicate as following: C, coated with polyvinyl acetate as control, GC, coated with 1% Guar gum and TG1, TG2, and TG3, coated with 0.75, 1, and 1.25% Tragacanth gum, respectively. All samples were kept at 8 ± 2 °C for 90 days. The results showed that total mesophilic aerobic bacteria counts were altered under the effect of edible coating materials (p < .01). The moisture and protein contents of the samples decreased and increased during ripening, respectively (p < .01). pH, acidity, fat in dry matter, tyrosine, and tryptophan contents of samples also significantly affected with edible coatings (p < .01). The free fatty acid composition of samples affected by all edible coatings. Trichloroacetic acid soluble nitrogen as a percent of total nitrogen, lipolysis, and sensory evaluation of samples were not significantly different (p > .01).Practical applicationsThe coating of Cheddar cheese by edible coatings (Guar/Tragacanth gum) compared to commercial coating (polyvinyl acetate), in addition to easy use and reduction of environmental pollution, improved the qualitative characteristics of this type of cheese. Therefore, these edible coatings can be used as new coatings for packaging of Cheddar cheese.