Enhancement of Ultrafiltrated White Soft Cheese with Cold Pressed Oils as Natural Food Additives for Extending Shelf life

W HITE soft cheese is the most popular cheese in Egypt, but it is a perishable product which can be contaminated by pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms decreasing shelf life and causing health risks to humans. Accordingly; the aim of this study is extending the shelf life, improving the properties and quality of the UF-white soft cheese using some cold pressed oils, which contain high phenolic compounds, good flavor, aroma and nutritional value and does not contain Trans fatty acids. These oils are effective for food safety and preservation, so in this study different cold pressed oils were used like Marjoram, Thyme, Rosemary, Moringa and Cardamom oils, each was added separately at level of 200 ppm to the UF-buffalo’s milk retentate to obtain five treatments; O 1 , O 2 , O 3 , O 4 and O 5 , respectively, while, UF-cheese with no addition served as control. Chemical, microbiological, rheological and sensory properties of the resulted UF-cheese samples were estimated during 14 days of storage at 5±1 ◦ C. The results showed that moisture and pH values were decreased during storage, while, the other all chemical parameters (fat, total nitrogen, water soluble nitrogen) were increased. The rheological properties of all UF-cheese treatments were improved and decreased by the end of cold storage period compared with control. Regarding the microbiological investigation, the UF-white soft cheese treatments that enhanced with Rosemary and thyme oils exhibited the lowest total viable count, yeast & mold and spore forming bacterial counts, followed by that enhanced with Moringa oil. No coliform groups or staphylococci was detected in all UF-white soft cheese treatments and control. Among the added oils, thyme, Moringa and Cardamom oils improved the sensory parameters and total score points of enriched UF-white soft cheese, comparing with the other treatments and control. However, all UF-white soft cheese containing cold pressed oils remained acceptable along storage period.