Avaliação da atividade antifúngica do óleo de Cocos nucifera e possível aplicação em derivados lácteos – uma revisão integrativa.

Abstract

Cheese and dulce de leche are products that are prone to microbial contamination, the deterioration of these products generates undesirable sensory aspects, making the product unacceptable for consumption. Consequently, there is product waste and economic loss, in addition to harming the consumer's health. Consumers' search for food without chemical compounds gave rise to the new marketing trend, called clean label. One of the ingredients that could possibly be a substitute for synthetic chemical preservatives is coconut oil, which is produced from dried coconut pulp, and currently scientific researches are investing their studies in its antimicrobial potential. The objective of this work was to carry out an integrative review on the use of coconut oil to inhibit microorganisms and evaluate its potential application as an antifungal in dairy products. A literature review was carried out and, as an experimental part, the antifungal activity of coconut oil (Cocos nucifera) against the microorganism Penicillium roquefort was evaluated by methods of agar diffusion and minimal inhibitory concentration as an experimental part of the review. The work presented demonstrated that coconut oil did not present fungicidal or fungistatic activity at concentrations from 5;5 g/L to 49;5 g/L (0;55%-4;95%) on P. roquefort. As a conclusion of the integrative review, it can be seen that coconut oil is a natural product that contains lauric acid as an antimicrobial agent. Some studies have demonstrated its antifungal activity on such species: Candida spp., Saprolegnia parasítica, Colletotrichum gloesporioides and Aspergillus fumigatus. However, coconut oil was not able to inhibit the growth of Penicillium roquefort at the concentrations that could be used in dairy products described in the work.