Production of edible film from bacterial cellulose and its usage possibilities in kashar cheese

This study examines the physical, chemical, and microbiological differences occurring during the storage period of kashar cheese coated with a film made of bacterial cellulose. To this end, Komagataeibacter sp., which can produce cellulose from kombucha, was isolated, and from this, bacterial cellulose was obtained. The obtained bacterial cellulose was dried out and kept in a solution made out of 5 % (w/v) added glucose and polyvinyl alcohol to produce a film. The thickness, SEM, FT-IR, TGA, XRD, and soil decomposition rates of the prepared bacterial cellulose film (BCF) were examined. Some of the Kashar cheese were coated with BCF, and those included in the control group were coated with polyethylene bags, and the samples were subjected to physical, chemical, and microbiological analyses on the 1st, 7th, 30th, 60th, and 90th days of the 90-day storage period. The mean thickness of BSF was found 0.03 mm. While white spots and local cracks were observed in the SEM analysis, the FT-IR, TGA, and XRD findings were similar to other studies. It was found on the 7th day of the film production that the film has a decomposition capacity of 34 %. We did not encounter S. aureus and coliform group bacteria during the storage period, and TAMB, LAB, lactic streptococci, and yeast mold numbers were observed to decline in the group with BCF. While the weight of the samples decreased due to moisture loss, an increase was observed in the dry-matter, fat, and salt rates, and the cheese samples had a hard and fragile consistency. In conclusion, the undesirable microbial activity in the cheese coated with BCF was avoided; however, in these samples, the quality loss occurred as well.