Antifungal and antioxidant activity of two essential oils and Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis extract on selected Iranian white cheese‐contaminating fungi

Cheese is generally susceptible to contamination by fungal spoilage organisms. The application of essential oils (EOs) as preservatives in dairy products has been growing recently. Thus, they need to be tested for various interactions before being used in cheese production processes. The aim of this study was first to determine the antifungal and antioxidant effects of two EOs and Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis extract (Ex) against three spoilage fungi; and second to evaluate EOs/Ex, alone and in combination, on inoculated cheese samples. The combination of EOs and Ex revealed a significant decrease in microbial load and higher antioxidant activity compared with the control samples. (a). The present study investigated in vitro antifungal and antioxidant activity of T. ammi and N. sativa EOs and L. lactis extract against three cheese spoilage fungi including P. chrysogenum, A. niger and S. cerevisiae. (b). We also investigated the effect of EOs/Ex, alone or in combination, on white cheese inoculated with A. niger, P. chrysogenum and S. cerevisiae during 28 days of storage and found a delay in the growth of fungi.