Volatile Transference and Antimicrobial Activity of Cheeses Made with Ewes’ Milk Fortified with Essential Oils
Carmen C. Licon,
Armando Moro,
Celia M. Librán,
Ana M. Molina,
Amaya Zalacain,
M. Isabel Berruga,
Manuel Carmona
Affiliations
Carmen C. Licon
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, California State University, Fresno, 5300 N Campus Drive M/S FF17, Fresno, CA 93740, USA
Armando Moro
Facultad de Ingeniería Agronómica, Universidad Técnica de Manabí, Avda. José María Urbina y Che Guevara, 130105 Portoviejo, Manabí, Ecuador
Celia M. Librán
Food Product Quality Department, Consum S. Coop, Av. Alginet s/n, 46460 Silla, Valencia, Spain
Ana M. Molina
Food Quality Research Group, Institute for Regional Development (IDR), Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario, 02071 Albacete, Spain
Amaya Zalacain
Cátedra de Química Agrícola, E.T.S.I.A., Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario, 02071 Albacete, Spain
M. Isabel Berruga
Food Quality Research Group, Institute for Regional Development (IDR), Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, Campus Universitario, 02071 Albacete, Spain
Manuel Carmona
School of Architecture, Engineering and Design, Food Technology Lab, Universidad Europea de Madrid, C/Tajo s/n, Villaviciosa de Odón, 28670 Madrid, Spain
During the last decades, essential oils (EOs) have been proven to be a natural alternative to additives or pasteurization for the prevention of microbial spoilage in several food matrices. In this work, we tested the antimicrobial activity of EOs from Melissa officinalis, Ocimum basilicum, and Thymus vulgaris against three different microorganisms: Escherichia coli, Clostridium tyrobutyricum, and Penicillium verrucosum. Pressed ewes’ cheese made from milk fortified with EOs (250 mg/kg) was used as a model. The carryover effect of each oil was studied by analyzing the volatile fraction of dairy samples along the cheese-making process using headspace stir bar sorptive extraction coupled to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Results showed that the EOs contained in T. vulgaris effectively reduced the counts of C. tyrobutyricum and inhibited completely the growth of P. verrucosum without affecting the natural flora present in the cheese. By contrast, the inhibitory effect of M. officinalis against lactic acid bacteria starter cultures rendered this oil unsuitable for this matrix.
