Pimaricin and Mycostatin for Retarding Cottage Cheese Spoilage

Two antifungal agents, pimaricin and mycostatin, added to Cottage cheese through the wash water at concentrations of 20, 50, or 100 μg/ml of wash water or added through the cheese dressing at 1, 2, or 5 μg/g retarded the growth of Aspergillus niger and Saccharomyces cerevisiae and improved the shelf-life of the cheese. In general, cheese with highest concentration of antifungal agent and stored at lowest temperature had best keeping quality. Pimaricin was slightly more effective than mycostatin in inhibiting fungi; inhibition was greater if the antifungal agents were added to the cheese dressing and the cheese was stored at low temperature; and A. niger was more sensitive to the inhibitors than S. cerevisiae.