15D-39 |
Electrostatic coating of shredded cheese with anticaking and antimycotic agents |
S. ELAYEDATH and S. A. Barringer. Dept. of Food Science & Technology, The Ohio State Univ., 2015 Fyffe Ct., Columbus, OH 43210-1007 Electrostatic coating is commonly used in the painting and electrical components coating industry to improve coating efficiency. The coating material is charged by passing it through an electrical field or releasing it from a charged spray gun, causing the particles to seek an object on which to ground itself. Traditional coating methods for shredded cheese with antimycotic and anticaking agents produce a high amount of wasted powder in the form of dust, a source of environmental pollution and worker hazard, and an uneven coating which increases the chance of mold growth. It is hypothesized here that electrostatic coating will improve the shelf life of shredded cheese and decrease the dustiness during coating. The purpose of this study was to compare the dustiness, transfer efficiency and resulting shelf life of non-electrostatic and electrostatic powder coating of cheese shreds. Shredded cheese was coated with a mixture of powdered cellulose and natamycin using a tumbling drum fitted with electrostatic coating equipment. Dustiness was measured by the amount of dust collected per unit volume of air pumped through a PVC filter during coating in both laboratory and commercial settings. Natamycin content was determined spectrophotometrically. Shelf life was determined by inspecting visually for mold growth during storage. Electrostatic coating decreased dustiness significantly over non-electrostatic coating. Electrostatic coating provides an increase in natamycin transfer efficiency over non-electrostatic coating. The shelf life of electrostatically coated cheese was significantly longer than that of non-electrostatically coated cheese. Using electrostatic coating will reduce the dust and the waste associated with non-electrostatic coating. Electrostatic coating provides a more efficient coating method by decreasing the amount of coating material needed to achieve the desired shelf life.
Session 15D, Food Engineering: Processing Technologies
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