FIELD OF INVENTION:
The present invention relates to natural preservatives for dairy products. More
particularly it relates to antimicrobiological preservatives of milk and dairy
products obtained from the plant extract of Cinnamomum tamala which increase
the shelf-life of dairy products by using naturally occurring substances.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART:
Cinnamon trees belong to a large genus of some 250 species, most of which are
aromatic. True Cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon and
the south-eastern coast of India, while the closely related Cassia is native to
China. Cinnamon and Cassia are both small tropical evergreen trees that grow up
to 20 - 30 feet tall, with aromatic bark and leaves. Young leaves employ a typical
trick of tropical trees to make themselves look unappealing to predatory insects by
assuming a limp, reddish appearance, as if wilting. Once they mature they perk up
and darken to a deep green. The leaves are elongated ovate with a pointed tip,
shiny and dark green on the upper surface, lighter below. The inconspicuous
whitish flowers grow in panicles, which later develop into bluish berries. The bark
is reddish brown and smooth.
The essential oil component of Cinnamon has anti-coagulant properties, which
help to thin blood and improve circulation. (Caution is advised for those already
on blood thinning medication). It also exhibits anti-microbial and anti-fungal
properties. The anti-microbial action helps to preserve food and can be used in
place of common food preservatives. It not only helps to prevent food spoilage by
common bacteria, but also by yeasts. Cinnamon is one of the few herbs that can
be used to treat fungal growths like Candida.
The bark and leaves of Cinnamomum spp. are commonly used as a spice in the
home kitchen and their distilled essential oils or synthetic analogs are used as
flavoring agents in the food and beverage industry, The anti mould potential of C.
zeylanicum extracts against A. solani and C. lunata, shows it as a promising
alternative antimicrobial preparation to be inserted in pharmaceutical formulations
used to treat mycoses of different clinical severities and the plant diseases,
particularly, those caused by Dematiaceous moulds .
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Addition of spices in foods not only imparts flavour and pungent stimuli but also
provides antimicrobial property. Natural antimicrobial compounds in spices were
found to possess antimicrobial activity. Recent scientific studies have shown that
essential oils of Cinnamomum plants C. cassia, C. camphora, C. iners, C.
osmophloe, C. zeylanicum and C. porrectum have antimicrobial activity. Research
on the medicinal plants should be extended with the identification of the active
principles in the plants. Cinnamomum tamala L. (Lauraceae) having the Tejpat as
the local Indian spice name was evaluated for antibacterial efficacy and
phytochemicals screening. (Ajay K. Mishra, Department of Biochemistry,
University of Allahabad, Allahabad, 2 1 1 002 India, 20 10)
The article "Cinnamomum tamala" talks about preservative role of Cinnamomum
tamala. It exhibits anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties. The anti-microbial
action helps to preserve food and can be used in place of common food
preservatives. It not only helps to prevent food spoilage by common bacteria, but
also by yeasts. Cinnamon is one of the few herbs that can be used to treat fungal
growths like Candida. (Cinnamomum tamala, 2012)
Chemistry, antimicrobial and antioxidant potentials of Cinnamomum tamala Nees
& Eberm. (Tejpat) essential oil and oleoresins" talks about essential oil and
oleoresins of Cinnamomum tamala Nees & Eberm. Both the volatile oil and
oleoresins have effective antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Thus, they
could be evaluated as natural food preservatives; however, essential oil is better
than oleoresins. (Kapoor, I P S Singh, Indian Journal of Natural Products and
Resources (IJNPR); Vo1.8 (2), 2009)
The article "Evaluation of Cinnamomum tamala oil and its phenylpropanoid
eugenol for their antifungal and anti-aflatoxigenic activity" talks about the
fungitoxic activity of extract of Cinnamomum tamala. The high LD50 value
(16.94 mlkg body weight) of oil recorded on mice indicates its mammalian
toxicity and suggests the recommendation of the oil as a novel and safe postharvest
biological preservative of food commodities for their preservation from
contaminating fungi.( Bhawana Srivastava, Food Analytical Methods; Springer
Science+Business Media, LLC,20 10).
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W0/2012/007818 discloses a method for the preservation of milk and dairy
products against spoilage by bacteria and oxidation. The preservation is achieved
by the extracts from plants of the labiatae family, mixtures thereof, as well as their
mixtures with other additives, carriers, antioxidants andlor emulsifiers as well as
additional plant extracts. The disclosed preservative is added to the milk and dairy
products in a determined amount that preserves the milk and dairy products while
leaving the organoleptic properties thereof unchanged.
Milk and milk products are known to be easily contaminated by bacteria and
generally, have a relatively short shelf-life. Further, the oxidation of milk fats
causes milk and dairy products to have an unpleasant smell and taste. Other than
lipolysis, which causes hydrolytic rancidity, milk fat oxidation is one of the main
factors influencing the shelf-life of milk and dairy products. The appearance of
smell and taste of oxidation is mostly felt in milk, cream and butter, as these
products have a milder smell and taste.
Synthetic preservatives and antibiotics have been used for decades in the
preservation of products against microbial spoilage. Recently, the use of naturally
occurring substances, such as extracts from plant materials, has become more
common in the protection against the microorganisms responsible for food
spoilage and pathogenic bacteria. This is mainly since synthetic preservatives tend
to exert undesired side effects on human health.
Therefore, there is a need to lengthen the shelf-life of dairy products by using
naturally occurring substance obtained from the plant Cinnamomum tamala.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION:
The principal object of the present invention is to provide the antimicrobial
preservative for the dairy products obtained from the Cinnamomum
tamala leaves.
Another object of the present invention is to provide the preservatives obtained
from the extracts of plants of the Lauraceae family.
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Yet another object of the present invention is to provide the preservatives
obtained from the medicinal plants that have antimicrobial preservation effect on
milk and dairy products.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide antimicrobial
preservative for the dairy products including milk (boiledlunboiled), curd, paneer,
cheese etc. at ambient temperature and at 40C (refrigeration) which increases the
shelf life.
Another object of the present invention is to provide the method for using the
preservative in the dairy products.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION:
The present invention provides natural preservative for milk and other dairy
products prepared using plants of the Lauraceae family and particularly
Cinnamomum tamala and a method of preparation thereof. The preservative
obtained from the Cinnamomum tamala has antimicrobial effect which lengthens
the shelf-life of dairy products, both at ambient and at refrigerated (4°C)
temperatures.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the preservative is
prepared by taking 300. mg of C. tamala driedlfresh powder which is mixed in 10
ml of distilled water. The mixture is boiled and stirred intermittently and the
volume is brought down to 5 ml. The mixture is then filtered and kept in a sealed
air tight bottle at ambient temperature.
In another embodiment of the present invention, C. tamala leaf powder is
prepared by taking dry and fresh leaves of C. tamala and heating it briefly in
microwave oven. The leaves are then crushed and finely powdered in a dry, warm
mortar-pestle.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the preservative is added
to the milk and dairy products in a determined amount.
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In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the addition of the
preservative imparted a good fragrance, taste and reduces the sourness of curd.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS:
It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical
embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered for
limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective
embodiments.
Fig. la, lb and lc illustrates curd without C. tamala leaf i.e. control, after day 1 ,
day 2 and day 3 respectively;
Fig. 2 illustrates the effect of C. tamala leaf solution (150 mg dried C. tamala
leaves1 5g curd) on shelf-life of curd at ambient temperature, where
2a: curd with C. tamala leaf solution on day 1,
2b: curd with C. tamala leaf solution on day 4,
2c: curd with C, tarnala leaf solution on day 5 (spoiled);
Fig. 3 illustrates the effect of C. tamala leaf solution (150 mg dried C. tamala
leaves1 5g curd) on shelf-life of curd at 4 "C, where
3a: curd with C. tamala leaf solution on day 1,
3b: curd with C. tamala leaf solution on day 6,
3c: curd with C. tamala leaf solution on day 7 (spoiled);
Fig. 4 illustrates the effect of C. tamala leaf solution (1 ml of C. tamala solution1
5g paneer) on shelf-life of paneer at ambient temperature, where
4a: paneer with C. tamala leaf solution on day 1,
4b: paneer with C. tamala leaf solution on day 7 (spoiled),
Fig. 5 illustrates the effect of C. tamala leaf solution (150 mg dried C. tamala
leaf1 5 ml unboiled milk) on shelf-life of milk at 4 "C, where
5a: milk with C. tamala leaf solution on day 1,
5b: milk with C. tamala leaf solution on day 10,
5C: milk with C. tamala leaf solution on day 11 (spoiled, showing no mobility).
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DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS:
Accordingly, the present invention provides an herbal preservative for milk and
dairy products prepared using leaves of plants of the Lauraceae family and in
particular Cinnamomum tamala. The preservative obtained from the
Cinnamomum tamala leaves has antimicrobial property which lengthens the shelf
life of dairy products. The preservative is added to the milk and other dairy
products in a determined amount that preserves the milk and dairy products for a
long time preferably 5 to 9 days without any spoilage
The invention is described in detail with reference to the examples given
below. The examples are provided just to illustrate the invention and
therefore, should not be construed to limit the scope of the invention.
Example 1:
Powdering of C. tamala leaves
Dry and Fresh leaves of C. tamala was taken and heated briefly in micro-oven at
approximately 250°C. It was then crushed and finely powdered in a dry and
warm, mortar-pestle.
Example 2:
Preparation of preservative solution:
300 mg of C. tamala driedlfiesh powder was weighed and mixed in 10 ml of
distilled water. The mixture was boiled and stirred intermittently till the volume
was brought down to 5 ml. Using a Whatman filter paper the solution was filtered
to free the drylfresh leave pieces. The solution was sealed and kept in an air tight
bottle at ambient temperature.
Example 3:
Experimentation with curd:
5g curd was taken in 4 different petri-plates and was spread to cover the whole
surface. To one of the petri-plate, 100 mg of dried C. tamala leaves were added
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(referred as least concentration in the image). To the second Petri-plate, 150 mg
of dried C. tamala leaves were added (referred as mid concentration in the
image). To the third Petri-plate, 200 mg of dried C. tamala leaves were added
(referred as highest concentration in the image). As a control 5 g curd was taken
in the fourth Petri-plate and no dried C. tamala leaves were added.
All the four Petri plates were kept at ambient temperature. A similar set as control
was maintained at a temperature of 39OC*2. Another such set as mentioned above
was kept at 4 OC under refrigeration (4OC Control).
Observation:
Curds kept at 4 OC under refrigeration got spoiled after 6 days on which C. tamala
was added. Maximum preservation was showed in the test tube in which 150 mg
of the dried leaf powder was added. In the control where no C. tamala powder
was added got spoiled in 3 days. The spoilage was noted by fungal growth and
change of taste. It was noted that the curd with the C. tamala leaves didn't have a
change of taste from the natural flavor but had a unique fragrance which curbs
down the usual sour fragrance of curd. Moreover the usual sourness was also
reduced.
Curds kept at ambient temperature (as a negative control- without the addition of
any forms of C. tamala) got spoiled after 5 days. Best preservation was shown by
the sample having 150 mg of the dried tamala leaf powder. The control which had
no C. tamala powder got spoiled in 2 days. There was a good fragrance and the
usual sour smell of curd was curbed down. There was an improvement in the taste
upon addition of the C. tamala leaves.
Example 4:
Experimentation with cottage cheese (paneer)
Milk was boiled and juice of Citrus Zimon (Lemon) (3ml juice/500 ml milk) was
added to coagulate and form the paneer. The formed paneer was then passed
,
through a strainer (a fine porous cloth and tightly squeezed) to drain out any
remaining water. The paneer was then dried under ambient temperature for few
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minutes. 5g of the said paneer was taken and spread in a Petri-plate. To it 1 ml of
C. tamala solution (made as in example 2) was added and mixed thoroughly.
Observation:
The paneer showed growth of fungus after 6 days. Before that, the paneer
possessed an unique flavor and taste and a very soothing fragrance.
Example 5:
Experimentation with Milk:
10 test tubes were taken with 5 ml un-boiled milk in each tube. To one of the
tubes, 1 ml of dried C. tamala solution was added and mixed thoroughly. To the
second tube, 1 ml of fresh C. tamala leaf solution was added and mixed
thoroughly. To the third tube, 150 mg of dried C. tamala leaf (prepared as in
example 1) was added and mixed thoroughly. To the fourth tube, 150 mg of fresh
C. tamala leaf was added and mixed thoroughly. To the fifth tube, 150 mg of
fresh Tamala root, cut in small pieces and powdered using mortar-pestle, was
added and mixed thoroughly.
The above 5 tubes were made in duplicate sets. One set was kept at ambient
temperature and the other similar set was maintained at 39 *2 "C.
Another such set as mentioned above, was kept at 4 OC (under refrigeration). As
for control 5 ml of un-boiled milk without any form of C. tamala was kept at
ambient temperature.
Observation:
Observations were made by tilting the tube and tasting the milk. The tubes kept at
4°C under refrigeration, tasted sour and coagulation took place after 10 days 3
hours as an average. Whereas, the tube with the dried C. tamala leaf solution
showed the optimum preservation. There was no change of taste due to the
addition of C. tamala leaf solution or powder but had a noble fragrance and the
milk tasted much better than normal.
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The keeping quality appeared to follow the following trend.
Dried leaf powder solution > Dried leaf powder > Fresh leaf powder solution >
Fresh leaf powder Tamala root powder.
For the tubes kept at ambient temperature, dried C. tamala leaf powder solution
showed maximum preservation of 6 days 12 hours. This was followed by dried C.
tamala leaf powder.
Numerous modifications and adaptations of the system of the present
invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and thus it is intended
by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and adaptations
which fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

SUGGESTED CLAIMS:
1. An herbal preservative for increasing the shelf-life of milk and diary
products comprising Cinnamomum tamala leaf solution and a method for
preparation of the same comprises the steps of:
a. taking dry and fresh leaves of Cinnamomum tamala and heating it;
b. crushing and powdering the leaves in a dry, hot, mortar-pestle;
c. taking 300 mg of driedlfresh powder obtained in step 'b' and
mixing it in 10 ml distilled water;
d. bringing down the volume of the above solution to 5 ml by boiling
and intermittent stirring;
e. filtering the solution obtained in step 'd' using Whatman filter
paper;
f. keeping the solution obtained after step 'e' in a sealed air tight
bottle at ambient temperature.
2. The herbal preservative for increasing the shelf-life of milk and diary
6
products comprising Cinnamomum tamala leaf solution and a method for
preparation of the same as claimed in claim 1, wherein the Cinnamomum
tamala leaves are heated in a micro-oven at 250°C.
3. The herbal preservative for increasing the shelf-life of milk and diary
products comprising Cinnamomum tamala leaf solution and a method for
preparation of the same as claimed in claim 1, wherein the Cinnamomum
tamala leaf solution treated milk (unboiled) shows a shelf-life of 6 to 10 or
more days, under different storage conditions.
4. The herbal preservative for increasing the shelf-life of milk and diary
products comprising Cinnamomum tamala leaf solution and a method for
preparation of the same as claimed in claim 1, wherein the Cinnamomum
tamala leaf solution treated paneer shows a shelf-life of about 6 days.
5. The herbal preservative for increasing the shelf-life of milk and diary
products comprising Cinnamomum tamala leaf solution and a method for
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preparation of the same as claimed in claim 1, wherein the Cinnamomum
tamala leaf solution treated curd shows a shelf-life of about 6 days.
6. The herbal preservative for increasing the shelf-life of milk and diary
products comprising Cinnamomum tamala leaf solution and a method for
preparation of the same as claimed in claim I, wherein addition of
Cinnamomum tamala leaf (dry or fresh) extract solution enhances the
fragrance and taste and reduces the sourness of curd, besides the enhanced
keeping quality of milk and different dairy product, both at ambient and
refrigerated temperature (4OC).