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Minas Frescal cheese is one of the most commercialized products in Brazil, but due to its high moisture, it is very perishable. To increase the shelf life of foods, many bioactive extracts have been used as preservatives, as they have antimicrobial action. The mango peel and kernel are industrial residues and have phenolic compounds with antimicrobial activity. This study aimed to develop Minas Frescal cheeses incorporating both peel and kernel mango extracts, to evaluate their physical-chemical and microbiological characteristics, as well as their sensory acceptance. The addition of the extracts did not change the physical-chemical characteristics of the product, except for the pH that showed a significant reduction and an increase in the titratable acidity. Thus, it is concluded that the lower the pH and the greater the number of phenolic compounds present in the extract, the greater the effect of antimicrobial activity will be. The averages attributed by the participants in the sensory analysis indicated a preference for cheeses with Espada and Tommy Atkins mango extract, demonstrating the potential use of these extracts in the production of Minas Frescal cheese.

ABSTRACT: Essential oils are the most important compounds produced during secondary metabolism in aromatic plants. Essential oils are volatile, have characteristic odor and are used as defensive agents by plants. In pepper, it is possible to say that essential oils are the “flavor fingerprint” of each species. In the present article, eight species of pepper were studied in order to extract their essential oils and oleoresins, test their antibacterial and antifungal activities and also to identify the compounds present in the most bioactive samples. Results demonstrated that two essential oils [Pimenta dioica (L.) Merr. and Schinus terebinthifolius] and three oleoresins (Schinus terebinthifolius and Piper nigrum white and black) recorded significant antimicrobial activity. These active essential oils and oleoresins are interesting for use in biotechnological processes employed in food, pharmaceutical and other industries.