Utilization of edible coating based on quince seed mucilage loaded with thyme essential oil: Shelf life, quality, and ACE-inhibitory activity efficiency in Kaşar cheese

Edible coatings offer many advantages in cheese coating for prolonging the shelf life and improving quality properties. Mould spoilage that occurs during ripening is one of the most important issues in Kaşar cheese. The current study focused on the effects of an edible coating solution based on quince seed mucilage (QSM) containing thyme oil (TO) in different ratios, on the surface moulding of Kaşar cheese and evaluated the physicochemical, microbiological, textural, and proteolysis characteristics of Kaşar cheese throughout the 120 days of ripening. Also, the effect of edible coating on the in-vitro Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory activities of pH 4.6-soluble extracts of Kaşar cheeses was investigated. Results showed that the coating of Kaşar cheese with QSM and the increased levels of thyme oil significantly suppress mould growth throughout the ripening. Until 120th days of ripening, counts of yeasts and moulds were lower <2 log cfu g−1 in coated cheese sample with QSM containing 2% TO. Coating with QSM caused an increase in moisture loss compared to vacuum-packed cheeses, however, didn't change the normal ripening conditions such as microbiological, chemical, textural, and proteolysis properties of Kaşar cheese. As the ripening progressed, ACE-inhibitory activity increased in all samples, with the highest inhibition in vacuum-packed and coated cheeses. Overall, it was determined that the QSM coating showed good potential as a coating material for the protection of cheese shelf life and quality as well as for enhancing ACE-inhibitory activity.