Evaluation of Microbial and Sensory Properties of Jug Cheese Packed in the Biodegradable Film of Polyvinyl Alcohol and Pinto Bean Starch-Containing Garlic, Ginger, and Cinnamon Essential Oils

Biodegradability and antimicrobial activity of food packaging materials are the most important parameters of modern food packaging industries. Therefore, the present study aimed to use a biodegradable film of polyvinyl alcohol and pinto bean starch-containing cinnamon, garlic, and ginger essential oils to increase the shelf life and reduce the microbial load of the jug cheese and compared with conventional packaging. For this purpose, jug cheese in the biodegradability film of polyvinyl alcohol/pinto bean starch (20/80%) respectively and dissolved in distilled water for 60 minutes at 90 °C was heated at 400 rpm stir. T10% glycerol was added to the filtered solutions on a magnetic stirrer (400 rpm) for 30 minutes at 37 °C to obtain a completely homogeneous solution. To make an antimicrobial biocomposite, three concentrations of each of the essential oils containing different concentrations (3.125, 6.25, and 12.5%) of cinnamon, garlic, and ginger The prepared films were poured into Teflon containers with a diameter of 15 cm and exposed to ambient temperature for 24 hours. The dried film layers were removed from the Teflon surface and stored in a zip kept at 25 °C until their microbial and sensory properties were evaluated during 60 days of storage at 4 °C and compared with the control sample. The results showed that the use of biodegradable film containing essential oil significantly reduced the microbial load in jug cheese samples. Total count of microorganisms, amount of Staphylococcus aureus, coliform, mold, and yeast in samples of jug cheese packed in a biodegradable film containing 6.25 and 12.5% cinnamon essential oil and 12.5% ginger essential oil after 60 days of storage was within the acceptable national standard. The highest general acceptance score among the acceptable samples of national standard belonged to the sample of jug cheese packed in a biodegradable film containing 6.25% cinnamon essential oil. The use of biodegradable films based on pinto bean starch and polyvinyl alcohol along with cinnamon and ginger essential oils are solutions that can reduce the microbial load increase the safety of food products during storage and prevent environmental damage.