This study aimed to prepare an inhibitory edible coating for Gouda cheese based on whey protein containing lactoperoxidase system (LPOS) and Bunium persicum essential oil (EO) in order to control postpasteurization contamination. Using a full factorial design, the effects of LPOS and EO on microbiological characteristics and chemical indices of manufactured Gouda cheeses were evaluated during 90 days of storage time. Listeria, lactic acid bacteria, Enterobacter, Escherichia, and Pseudomonas species were considered as potential pathogenic and spoilage indicators of produced Gouda cheese samples. Chemical properties of cheeses were assessed using the free fatty acid, peroxide value, and thiobarbituric acid experiments. The results showed that bacteria counts remained constant in cheese samples coated with EO and also EO-LPOS. However, the survival of gram-positive lactic acid bacteria and Enterobacter spp. was more pronounced in LPOS-based coating. The most effective treatments on oxidation stability parameters in cheese samples were EO- and EO-LPOS coatings. By the addition of B. persicum EO and LPOS, further inhibition of the lipid oxidation of the cheese samples was achieved. Lipolysis, as a result of lipid degradation, was more pronounced in the control, whey-coated, and whey-LPOS-coated samples in comparison with whey-EO- and whey-EO-LPOS-coated samples during the final days of storage time. These results indicate that antibacterial, lipid oxidation, and oxygen barrier properties of the coatings were developed by the addition of B. persicum EO and LPOS.
Keywords: Bunium persicum; Gouda cheese; coating; lactoperoxidase.