Effect of Bacteriocin on Soft Cheese

This study was carried out to produce soft cheese Ricotta at various concentrations (0.1 ,0.2 ,0.3 gm./kg buffalo milk ) of nisin as bio-preservative to extend the shelf life of cheese. The effect of nisin on physo-chemical , rheological, microbial and sensory evaluation were studied. Addition of nisin reduced the development of acidity and microbial count during storage periods. The sensory properties of Ricotta cheese improved with the addition of 0.2 and 0.3 gm. of nisin than 0.1gm and control samples during storage periods. The cheese samples fortified with nisin gained higher scores than control samples. Addition of 0.2 and 0.3 gm. of nisin to increase the shelf life and used as a natural food preservative of Ricotta cheese can be recommended without any adverse effect on the properties of the obtained product.