Mentha longifolia Essential Oil and Pulegone in Edible Coatings of Alginate and Chitosan: Effects on Pathogenic Bacteria in Lactic Cheese.

is a valuable medicinal and aromatic plant that belongs to family. This study looked at the antibacterial effects of essential oil and pulegone in edible coatings made of chitosan and alginate on the growth of , , and in cheese. For this purpose, first fresh mint plant was collected from the cold region of Jiroft in Kerman province. Plant samples were dried in the shade at ambient temperature, and essential oil was prepared using Clevenger. The essential oil was analyzed by gas chromatography using mass spectrometric (GC/MS) detection. The major composition of oil was pulegone (26.07%), piperitone oxide (19.72%), and piperitone (11.88%). The results showed that adding essential oils and pulegone to edible coatings significantly reduced the growth of bacteria during storage. The bacterial population decreased by increasing the concentration of chitosan, , and pulegone in edible coatings. When the effects of pulegone and essential oils on bacteria were compared, it was found that pulegone had a stronger effect on bacterial population reduction. Coating treatments showed more antibacterial activity on than other bacteria. In general, the results of this research showed that alginate and chitosan coatings along with essential oil and its active ingredient pulegone had antibacterial effects against , , and in cheese.