Novel Technologies for Preserving Ricotta Cheese: Effects of Ultraviolet and Near-Ultraviolet-Visible Light

Abstract

Ricotta cheese is a potential growth medium for a wide range of microorganisms. The aim of the current study was to investigate the efficacy of ultraviolet (UV-C) and near-ultraviolet-visible light (NUV-vis) in microbial decontamination of ricotta artificially inoculated with Pseudomonas fluorescens. Cheese samples were stored at 4 degrees C, and microbiological and sensory analyses were performed for 9 days. From the microbiological point of view, control samples became unacceptable after less than 5 days, whereas ricotta treated by both UV-C and NUV-vis light remained acceptable for more than 6 days. Similar effects of UV-C and NUV-vis light were also recorded in terms of sensory quality. The shelf life of the samples subjected to the treatments was thus extended by 50%, suggesting the potential application of UV-C and NUV-vis light for cheese decontamination.

Keywords

UV-C; NUV-vis light; non-thermal technology; irradiation treatments; microbial inactivation; ricotta cheese

Published in

Foods
2020, volume: 9, number: 5, article number: 580
Publisher: MDPI

SLU Authors

• Papoutsis, Konstantinos

  • University College Dublin

UKÄ Subject classification

Food Science

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9050580

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/131925