Sodium alginate with turmeric coating for ripened cheeses

Artisanal cheeses produced with high coliform counts are commonly on the market in several countries. The bioactive edible coating use appears as technological innovation in the dairy derivatives market to improve quality and increasing the products shelf life. The objective of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of cheeses produced with Lactobacillus helveticus containing high coliform counts and coated with tumeric and sodium alginate. The coatings were evaluated for mechanical properties, water steam permeability and sorption isotherm. The experimental design was completely randomized and the treatments consisted of sodium alginate and turmeric 1% (AGAT) edible cover and the other one without edible cover (SEMC), data were analyzed by the Proc GLM SAS 9.3 program.The coated cheeses had higher microbial growth although the total coliform bacteria were reduced according to the storage time. For instrumental color, there was no significant difference between treatments. Coverage significantly altered hardness, gumminess, chewiness and cohesiveness over time, while elasticity was not affected. The coating presence was not significant for water steam permeability and mechanical properties. The tested solution did not effectively improve microbiological quality, however, coated cheese samples showed increased lactic acid bacteria, water activity and improved cheese texture, making them softer, with less elasticity, cohesion and chewing.