Chitosan/whey protein film as active coating to extend Ricotta cheese shelf-life

Shelf-life extension of Ricotta cheese coated with a chitosan/whey protein edible film and stored under modified atmosphere at 4 °C was evaluated. The chitosan/whey protein film had 35% and 21% lower oxygen and carbon dioxide permeability, respectively, and about three times higher water vapor permeability than film prepared with chitosan alone. Over a 30-day storage period, no differences in the pH of control and coated Ricotta cheeses were observed. While the titratable acidity of the control increased linearly during the first two weeks and remained constant for the rest of the storage period, the corresponding values for coated Ricotta cheese did not change significantly during the first 21 days and reached the acidity level (0.34 ± 0.02 milliequivalent/100 g of analyzed sample) of the control only on day 30. The viable numbers of lactic acid bacteria and mesophilic and psychrotrophic microorganisms were significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the chitosan/whey protein coated cheese, compared to the control, at each storage time. Our findings suggest a potential utility of chitosan/whey protein coatings to extend fresh dairy product shelf-life.