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Application of some essential oils to control of fungi in UF feta cheese

Flora Shojaei, Ali Mohamadi Sani

Mould growth on cheeses should be inhibited by some preservation meth- ods, such as chemical food preservatives. But consumer perception that the use of industrially synthesized food preservatives may be associated with potential toxicological problems has generated interest in the use of naturally occurring compounds. Some certain herbs, spices or their oils with well known antimicrobial properties have been used for a long time in some foods such as cheese to prevent fungal growth. Mold growth except mould-ripened cheese varieties on the cheese surface causes un- desirable flavor, economic loses and quality problems which of them are capable of producing toxic secondary metabolites. The genus most fre- quently isolated was Penicillium sp. producing mycotoxins such as och- ratoxin-A and citrinin as responsible for spoilage in cheeses. In the present study, a search was evidenced essential oils that could safely be used as natural alternatives for chemical fungicides. This is a consumer pressure to reduce the use of such preservatives and perhaps replace them with other more natural ones. They could be used by the food industry as an- tifungal agents without toxic risk. Eos or their products could be treated with cheeses in order to protect from fungal contamination, so the using of some essential oils treatment on the surface of cheeses for inhibiting undesired fungi may be an alternative protection instead of chemical in future.