Chitosan and tannins as efficient alternatives to antibiotics on sheep cheese rind. alternatives to antibiotics on sheep cheese rind

Tuscan pecorino may be externally treated with antifungal compounds, such as the antibiotic natamycin, for preventing the development of spoilage molds. The aim of this work was to investigate the possibility of replacing the antibiotic natamycin with different sources of tannins (i.e. chestnut and grape marc) and chitosan. To this aim, we analysed the fungal communities spontaneously developing on the crust, combining morphological and molecular identification, and assessed the physical, chemical and nutritional profiles of PDO Pecorino Toscano cheese during its ripening in an industrial dairy processing plant located in Tuscany.