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Effect of Different Packaging Methods on the Quality of Stuffed and Sliced Mozzarella Cheese during Storage
Author(s) -
Akarca Gökhan,
Tomar Oktay,
Gök Veli
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
journal of food processing and preservation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.511
H-Index - 48
eISSN - 1745-4549
pISSN - 0145-8892
DOI - 10.1111/jfpp.12542
Subject(s) - food science , shelf life , vacuum packing , modified atmosphere , aerobic bacteria , mesophile , chemistry , water activity , lightness , lactic acid , moisture , mozzarella cheese , water content , bacteria , biology , physics , geotechnical engineering , optics , organic chemistry , engineering , genetics
Mozzarella produced with high moisture curd method was filled into a fibrous casing and was stored at 4 C and 85% relative humidity for 5 days. Sliced cheese was packed in aerobic packaging ( AP ), vacuum packaging ( VP ) and modified atmosphere packaging ( MAP ) and was stored at 4 C for 21 days. L * (lightness) value of the AP sample decreased, while an increased in other two treatments was detected. The a * (redness) values of VP and MAP samples decreased, while the values of AP samples increased. Mesophilic aerobic bacteria, yeast and mold counts increased in the AP samples, while that of the VP and MAP samples counts decreased. Lactic acid bacterial count decreased in all three samples and the greatest decrease with a value of 3.90 log cfu/g was detected in samples packed in aerobic conditions. Samples with MAP had significantly better sensory score ( P < 0.05) than any other samples. Practical Applications Mozzarella cheese is a popular processed dairy product. Mozzarella cheese is primarily produced with water buffalo milk and cow milk. Mozzarella is produced using two different methods, which are based on dry matter ratio and shelf life. Mozzarella with low moisture is used in the pizza industry and has a longer shelf life. The other mozzarella has higher humidity content and a limited shelf life. Modified atmosphere packaging ( MAP ) is becoming more common and is successfully applied to different processed dairy products for extending the shelf life. To sum up, our study proves the efficacy of using different packaging methods ( AP , VP or MAP ) on the microbiological, chemical and sensory properties of sliced mozzarella.