Antimicrobial Effect of Edible Coating with Coriander Essential Oil in Vegetarian Cake during Storage

The present study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of edible coating with coriander and chitosan essential oil (1: 0.01 v/v) on the freshness of vegetarian cakes during storage. The antimicrobial activity of the coriander essential oil was evaluated against certain strains of Gram-positive and Gram-neg¬ative bacteria found in the food industry. The largest diameter of the inhibition zones was obtained by the Gram-positive bacterium Listeria monocytogenes NCTC 11994 (55.0 mm). The antimicrobial activity of food coatings against molds and yeasts, fecal coliforms, Salmonella species, and coagulase-positive staph¬ylococci was determined to assess the impact of the edible coating on the final product. The obtained results confirmed the antimicrobial effect of chitosan and coriander essential oil coating on the development of mold on the surface of vegetarian cakes during storage of 6 days. The influence of edible coatings on some physicochemical parameters (total moisture, water activity, volume, specific volume) of vegetarian cakes during storage and the structural and mechanical properties of the cake products (shrinkage, plasticity, and springiness) were analyzed. The positive effect of the coating on maintaining the freshness of vegetarian cakes during storage was reported, as between the third and sixth day, the products with chitosan coatings and a combination of chitosan and coriander essential oil showed the lowest values of water activity (aw 0.727-0.760). Sensory evaluation of products during storage revealed the presence of a pronounced unusual odor in products with coriander essential oil.