Identification of Volatile Compounds Originating from Secondary Contamination and Packaging Materials in UF and White Brine Cheeses

Subject Areas : food quality control

Narges Sabouri ¹ , Yadollah Yamini ² , .M. R Ehsani ³ , bakhoda hossein ⁴

1 - PhD Student of the Department of Food Science and Technology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2 - Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran.
3 - Professor of the Department of Food Science and Technology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
4 - Assistant Professor, Department of Agricultural Mechanization, Science and Research Branch- Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Received: 2024-03-10 Accepted : 2024-04-30 Published : 2024-06-05

Keywords: Cheese Ripening, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Secondary Contamination, Microbial Activity, Food Safety,

Abstract :

Background: Identification of volatile contaminants migrating from packaging aids quality evaluation of packaged foods. Soft cheeses can undergo such migration-based contamination on storage. Methods: White brine and ultrafiltrated (UF) cheeses in packages were stored for 90 days at 4 degrees Celsius (°C). Headspace-solid phase microextraction (HS-SPME) using polysulfone and mesoporous carbon nitride (MCN/Polysulfone) fiber coupled to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to extract and analyze volatile compounds. Migration-based contaminants exclusively present in stored versus fresh cheeses were identified through National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) library matching. Results: In total 23 unwanted volatile contaminants originating from contamination/packaging were identified, including 19 compounds in white brine` cheese (phthalates, benzenecarboxylic acids, etc.) and 13 compounds in UF cheese (phthalates, benzenecarboxylic acids, triazenes, oximes, etc.). More migrants were observed in white brine cheese. Compounds also differed based on SPME extraction method. Conclusion: Prolonged storage induced migration of volatile contaminants from probable packaging sources into soft cheeses. Future research should focus on refining volatile organic compound (VOC)-based detection methods to enhance early identification of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms in cheese production.

References:

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