The effect of flax seed mucilage and xanthan gum as an edible coating on microbial, physicochemical, rheological and sensory properties of cheddar cheese during ripening

The object of this study was to investigate the possibility of using xanthan gum and flaxseedmucilage as edible coatings for Cheddar cheese and the effect of these coatings on the qualitative properties of Cheddar cheese during ripening. Samples were prepared triplicate as follows: Coated with polyvinyl acetate as control (C), coated with 0.5% xanthan gum (XG), coated with 0.75%, 1%, and 1.25% flaxseed mucilage (FM1, FM2, and FM3 respectively). All samples were kept at 8±2°C in a cold room for 90 days. Edible coatings did not significantly affect the growth of total mesophilic aerobic bacteria, Pseudomonas bacteria, and Coliform bacteria (P>0.01). In contrast, a xanthan gum coating significantly increased the population of Mold and Yeast (P<0.01). The type of coating had a significant effect on acidity and pH(P<0.01); so that the highest pH and acidity rates were observed in the FM1 and XG samples respectively after 90 days of ripening. The highest amount of weight loss at the end of the ripening period was observed significantly in FM3 (P<0.05). In all frequencies, G/ and ƞ* in FM1 and G// in FM2 showed the highest value, while the lowest values of these parameters were observed in the control sample. Sensory evaluation revealed that coating have no significant effect on sensory properties of cheese. Therefore, in order to achieve the desired qualitative and organoleptic properties, the coating of Cheddar cheese is recommended by using Xanthan gum (0.5%) or Flaxseed mucilage (1.25%).