Search Results (21)

The development of sustainable biodegradable packaging materials is essential for enhancing food quality and shelf life while reducing plastic waste. This study explored polymer-based monolayer, composite, and bilayer films to produce water-soluble, oil-proof pouches. Single-serving seasoning oil pouches were prepared from bilayer films with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the inner and sodium alginate (SA) as the outer layer. The PVA/SA films exhibited excellent UV protection, low oil permeability (0.18 × 10⁻⁶ g·mm/mm²·day), hydrophilic surface (water contact angle < 90°), and rapid solubility in hot water (87 ± 2 °C). Incorporating curcumin, a natural antioxidant, into PVA/SA films (Cur-PVA/SA) improved thermal stability, reduced light transmittance, and decreased water vapor permeability (0.28 × 10⁻¹⁰ g/m·Pa·s). Curcumin release followed a biphasic diffusion model, with 94.8% released at 96 h (diffusion coefficient: 1.30 × 10⁻¹¹ m²/s), ensuring prolonged antioxidant activity. The Cur-PVA/SA pouches delayed lipid oxidation more effectively, with peroxide values of 6.48 and 10.35 meq/kg after 45 days at 35 °C, respectively. The Q₁₀ model, which is commonly used to predict the shelf life of oils based on temperature-dependent oxidation rates, estimated that the oil packaged in Cur-PVA/SA pouches would remain stable for 12 months at 23 °C. This represents a 37% longer shelf life compared to oil packaged in PVA/SA pouches without curcumin. Cur-PVA/SA pouches also reduced noodle moisture migration, limiting weight loss to 2.73% over 14 days compared to 5.80% in controls. These findings highlight their potential as eco-friendly active packaging solutions. Full article

Cold-adapted pectin lyases are particularly useful in the extraction and clarification of freshly squeezed fruit juices at low temperatures, as they effectively reduce juice viscosity and improve light transmittance. With the increasing attention on low-temperature pectinase in industrial applications, the exploration of low-temperature pectinase with novel characteristics has become one of the key focuses of research and development. In this study, a 1026 bp gene, pel1Ba, encoding a 42.7 kDa pectin lyase, was cloned from sediment samples collected from the South China Sea and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. The purified Pel1Ba exhibited an optimal temperature of 40 °C and an optimal pH of 10, with a total enzyme activity of 5100 U/mL. Notably, Pel1Ba is a cold-adapted enzyme that retains 80% of its relative activity across the temperature range of 0–40 °C. When 20 U/mL purified Pel1Ba was added to orange juice, the juice volume increased by 43.00% and its clarity improved by 37.80%. Meanwhile, site-directed mutagenesis analysis revealed that the residual enzyme activities of the mutants A230I, F253I, and L292I were increased by 22.5%, 34.4%, and 25.1%, respectively, compared to the wild type. This study concludes that the cold-active pectate lyase Pel1Ba exhibits potential for applications in the food industry. Full article

Background/Objectives: Recent research highlights the growing interest in the impact of nutrition on cognitive health and function in disease, as dietary habits are increasingly recognized as crucial factors in relation to brain function. This focus is especially important given the rising prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases and the cognitive decline associated with poor dietary choices. Links are now being sought between brain function and the microbiota and gut–brain axis. Mechanisms are proposed that include low-grade chronic neuroinflammation, the influence of short-chain fatty acids, or the disruption of glial cells and transmitters in the brain. Methods: We reviewed the articles on pubmed. This is not a systematic review, but of the narrative type. We wanted to outline the issue and summarise the latest information. Results: The axis in question has its foundation in nutrition. It has been reported that diet, particularly the components and the timing of food intake, has an impact on cognitive processes. The Mediterranean diet is most often cited in the literature as being beneficial to health. In order to obtain a more complete view, it is worth considering other dietary patterns, even those that impair our health. Conclusions: Determining what is beneficial and what is not will allow us to develop a speronized strategy for the prevention of, and fight against, cognitive impairment. Appropriately selected supplements, the functions of which we have also discussed, may prove supportive. Full article

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of inactivating Salmonella enteritidis in fresh chicken breast by irradiation using a combination of short-wave UV (0, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 J/cm²) and a natural antimicrobial such as caffeine (0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 nM/g) at 14 °C as alternative proposals to conventional techniques to reduce pathogens in food. The effect of temperature was studied in an initial phase (2 to 22 °C). The most suitable models were double Weibull in 60% of cases, with an adjustment of R² 0.9903–0.9553, and Weibull + tail in 46.67%, with an adjustment of R² of 0.9998–0.9981. The most effective combination for the reduction in Salmonella was 12 J/cm² of UV light and 15 nM/g of caffeine, with a reduction of 6 CFU/g and an inactivation rate of 0.72. The synergistic effect was observed by increasing caffeine and UV light. Furthermore, the physico-chemical characteristics of the food matrix were not affected by the combination of both technologies. Therefore, these results suggest that this combination can be used in the food industry to effectively inactivate Salmonella enteritidis without deteriorating product quality. Full article

Food safety and quality are major concerns in the food industry. Despite numerous studies, polyethylene remains one of the most used materials for packaging due to industry reluctance to invest in new technologies and equipment. Therefore, modifications to the current materials are easier to implement than adopting whole new solutions. Antibacterial activity can be induced in low-density polyethylene films only by adding antimicrobial agents. ZnO nanoparticles are well known for their strong antimicrobial activity, coupled with low toxicity and UV shielding capability. These characteristics recommend ZnO for the food industry. By incorporating such safe and dependable antimicrobial agents in the polyethylene matrix, we have obtained composite films able to inhibit microorganisms’ growth that can be used as packaging materials. Here we report the obtaining of highly homogenous composite films with up to 5% ZnO by a melt mixing process at 150 °C for 10 min. The composite films present good transparency in the visible domain, permitting consumers to visualize the food, but have good UV barrier properties. The composite films exhibit good antimicrobial and antibiofilm activity from the lowest ZnO composition (1%), against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains. The homogenous dispersion of ZnO nanoparticles into the polyethylene matrix was assessed by Fourier transform infrared microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The optimal mechanical barrier properties were obtained for composition with 3% ZnO. The thermal analysis indicates that the addition of ZnO nanoparticles has increased thermal stability by more than 100 °C. The UV-Vis spectra indicate a low transmittance in the UV domain, lower than 5%, making the films suitable for blocking photo-oxidation processes. The obtained films proved to be efficient packaging films, successfully preserving plum (Rome) tomatoes for up to 14 days. Full article

Anthocyanin-rich steamed purple sweet potato (SPSP) is a suitable raw material to produce smart packaging films. However, the application of SPSP-based films is restricted by the low antimicrobial activity of anthocyanins. In this study, SPSP-based smart packaging films were produced by adding mandarin essential oil (MEO) as an antimicrobial agent. The impact of MEO content (3%, 6%, and 9%) on the structures, properties, and application of SPSP-based films was measured. The results showed that MEO created several pores within films and reduced the hydrogen bonding system and crystallinity of films. The dark purple color of the SPSP films was almost unchanged by MEO. MEO significantly decreased the light transmittance, water vapor permeability, and tensile strength of the films, but remarkably increased the oxygen permeability, thermal stability, and antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of the films. The SPSP-MEO films showed intuitive color changes at different acid-base conditions. The purple-colored SPSP-MEO films turned blue when chilled shrimp and pork were not fresh. The MEO content greatly influenced the structures, physical properties, and antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of the films. However, the MEO content had no impact on the color change ability of the films. The results suggested that SPSP-MEO films have potential in the smart packaging of protein-rich foods. Full article

Banana (Musa acuminate) has been popular among consumers worldwide due to its rich nutrients and minerals. However, bananas are highly susceptible to the physical and biological factors that lead to postharvest loss during transportation and storage. In this work, novel sodium alginate (SA) films incorporated with silver nitroprusside nanoparticles (AgNNPs) were prepared to extend the shelf life of bananas through antibacterial and antioxidant coating. The results exhibited that AgNNPs were cubical and that their size was <500 nm, with metal composition being Ag and Fe. Additionally, the incorporation of AgNNPs in the SA film was seen in FE-SEM and zeta analysis, with an average size of about 365.6 nm. Furthermore, the functional and crystalline properties of AgNNPs were assessed through FTIR and XRD. Transmittance testing of the SA-AgNNPs films confirmed they have good UV barrier properties. SA-AgNNPs films exhibited excellent high antibacterial activity against foodborne pathogens including L. monocytogenes, S. enterica, and E. coli at the concentration of 500 µg/mL. Moreover, during the storage of bananas, SA-AgNNPs nanocomposite coatings act as a barrier to microbial contamination and slow down the ripening of bananas. As a result, compared with SA-coated and uncoated bananas, SA-AgNNPs-coated bananas exhibited the lowest weight loss and lowest total bacterial colonies, thus greatly extending their shelf life. Particularly when coated with SA-AgNNPs films, total bacterial colonies (TBC) in the banana peel and pulp were as low as 1.13 × 10³ and 51 CUF/g on the ninth day of storage, respectively. Our work offers an efficient strategy to improve the quality of bananas during the postharvest period, with extensive applications in fruit preservation and food packing. Full article

The objective of this article was to combine tea polyphenols, gallic acid, and cinnamon essential oil to construct a natural extract-complex microemulsion system (NMs) with good antibacterial activity, antioxidant activity, and stability, as well as low irritation. NMs were characterized by particle size distribution, electrical conductivity, and light transmittance. The stability, as well as the antimicrobial, antioxidant, irritation, and antimicrobial mechanisms, of NMs were also studied. The results showed that NMs had a significant antimicrobial function against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida albicans and Aspergillus brasiliensis. The minimum inhibitory concentrations were 156 μg/mL, 62.5 μg/mL, 125 μg/mL, 250 μg/mL, and 125 μg/mL, respectively. Through the cell membrane permeability test and growth curve test of bacteria and fungi, we concluded that the NMs’ mechanism of action on bacteria and fungi could be interpreted as NMs mainly altering the permeability of cell membranes to inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi. The results of this study have important implications for utilizing plant extracts as natural preservatives for food and cosmetics. Full article

Starch is a naturally occurring material showing high potential for use in food packaging because of its low cost, natural abundance and high biodegradability. Over the years, different starch-based packaging films have been developed, but the impact of botanical sources on film performance has rarely been exploited. Efforts devoted to exploiting the role played by the clusteroluminescence of starch in food packaging are also lacking. This study fills these gaps by comparing the properties of edible starch films generated from different botanical sources (including water chestnuts, maize and potatoes) in food packaging. Such films are produced by solution casting. They are highly homogeneous, with a thickness of 55–65 μm. Variations in the botanical sources of starch have no significant impact on the color parameters (including L*, a* and b*) and morphological features of the films but affect the water vapor permeability, maximum tensile strength and elongation at break. Starch films from water chestnut show the highest percentage of transmittance, whereas those from potatoes are the opaquest. No observable change in the intensity of clusteroluminescence occurs when a packaging bag generated from starch is used to package fresh or frozen chicken breast meat; however, a remarkable decline in the intensity of luminescence is noted when the frozen meat is thawed inside the bag. Our results reveal the impact of starch sources on the performance of starch films in food packaging and demonstrate the possibility of using the clusteroluminescence of starch as an indicator to reveal the state of packaged frozen food. Full article

A new type of hydroxyalkyl starch, γ-hydroxypropyl starch (γ-HPS), was prepared by etherification of alkali-activated starch with 3-chloropropanol. The reaction efficiency, morphological change, thermodynamic and apparent viscosity properties, and other physicochemical characteristics were described. The molar substitution (MS) of modified whole starch was determined to be 0.008, 0.017, 0.053, 0.106, and 0.178, with a ratio of 5%, 15%, 25%, 35%, and 45% 3-chloropropanol to starch (v/w), respectively. Compared to native starch, the granular size and shape and the X-ray diffraction pattern of γ-HPS are not very different. For low-substituted γ-HPS, the implications may be less evident. Thermal stability measurements by means of thermogravimetric analyses and differential scanning calorimetry (TGA-DSC) proved that thermal stability was reduced and water retaining capacity was increased after hydroxypropylation. Furthermore, the findings also showed that the solubility, light transmittance, and retrogradation of γ-HPS pastes could be improved by etherification. The greater the MS of the γ-HPS, the more its freeze–thaw stability and acid resistivity increased. In this study, we provide relevant information for the application of γ-HPS in food and non-food industries. Full article

Proteins, such as those in blood from slaughterhouses, are a good option for developing edible films. However, films made exclusively from proteins have low strength and high water solubility, which makes them difficult to use in the food industry. The use of cellulosic material, such as nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC), can improve the properties of these films. In the present work, bovine plasma was acidified and treated with ethanol to precipitate its proteins, and these proteins were used to prepare films reinforced with several concentrations of NFC. In addition, control films prepared with untreated bovine plasma and reinforced with NFC were prepared as well. These new edible films were characterized according to their mechanical properties, water vapor permeability, light transmittance, and microstructure. Furthermore, the film with the best properties was selected to be additivated with nisin to test its antimicrobial properties by wrapping meat previously contaminated with Staphylococcus aureus. In this sense, films prepared with the extracted proteins showed better properties than the films prepared with untreated plasma. In addition, the results showed that the reinforcement of the films with a 10% (w/w) of NFC decreased their water solubility and improved their puncture strength and water vapor barrier properties. Finally, the addition of nisin to the films prepared with extracted protein from bovine plasma and NFC gave them antimicrobial properties against S. aureus. Full article

The problem of waste generated by packaging obtained from conventional synthetic materials, often multilayer, has become more and more pressing with increasing consumption. In this context, nature and humanity have suffered the most. In order to address this phenomenon, global and European organizations have launched and promoted programs and strategies. Replacing petroleum-based packaging with biopolymer packaging has proven to be a real alternative. Thus, the substitution of plastics with biodegradable, non-toxic, edible materials, which can be obtained from marine or agro-industrial waste, is of interest. In the present study, we aimed to develop natural edible materials, obtained entirely from biopolymers such as agar and sodium alginate and plasticized with glycerol and water. Designed to be used for food and food supplements packaging, they can be completely solubilized before consumption. The films were developed through a casting method and were tested in order to identify the physical, optical, and solubility properties. According to the results, the most suitable composition for use as a hydrosoluble packaging material contains agar:alginate:glycerol in a 2:1:1 ratio. The microstructure indicates a homogeneous film, with low roughness values (Rz = 12.65 ± 1.12 µm), high luminosity (92.63), above-average transmittance (T = 51.70%), and low opacity (6.30 A* mm⁻¹). The obtained results are of interest and highlight the possibility of substituting intensely polluting materials with those based on biopolymers. Full article

Mater-Bi^® NF866 (MB) was blended with gum rosin and two pentaerythritol esters of gum rosin (labeled as LF and UT), as additives, to produce biobased and compostable films for food packaging or agricultural mulch films. The films were prepared by blending MB with 5, 10, and 15 wt.% of each additive. The obtained films were characterized by optical, colorimetric, wettability, and oxygen barrier properties. Moreover, the additives and the MB-based films were disintegrated under composting conditions and the effect of each additive on the biodegradation rate was studied. All films were homogeneous and optically transparent. The color of the films tended to yellow tones due to the addition of pine resin derivatives. All the formulated films presented a complete UV-transmittance blocking effect in the UVA and UVB region, and those with 5 wt.% of pine resin derivatives increased the MB hydrophobicity. Low amounts of resins tend to maintain the oxygen transmission rate (OTR) values of the neat MB, due to its good solubilizing and compatibilizing effects. The disintegration under composting conditions test revealed that gum rosin completely disintegrates in about 90 days, while UT degrades 80% and LF degrades 5%, over 180 days of incubation. As expected, the same tendency was obtained for the disintegration of the studied films, although Mater-Bi^® reach 28% of disintegrability over the 180 days of the composting test. Full article

Human interference in production systems becomes feasible through the use of specific devices that, among other functions, allow the monitoring, control and optimization of processes. One of the drawbacks encountered in the sugar and ethanol industry is the lack of instruments for the measurement of the °Brix concentration in sugarcane that are low-cost and non-destructive. The measurement and monitoring of the °Brix concentration in the cane are necessary to identify the appropriate time for harvesting in order to reach the peak sucrose content in the cane, obtaining maximum yield from a given crop. Based on several measurement devices available in the current market that involve non-destructive technologies for the monitoring of physical-chemical properties of food, this paper proposes a new low-cost meter to measure °Brix in sugarcane. The device uses the continuous wave technique consisting of two piezoelectric transducers (signal transmitter and receiver), a pulse generator, an instrumentation amplifier with a bandpass filter and an amplitude meter. The developed measuring instrument is feasible and represents a promising alternative for the sugar and alcohol industry. Full article

Hemicellulose with good biodegradability and low oxygen permeability shows great potential in food packaging. However, its strong hydrophilicity leads to its poor moisture resistance, which hinders its wider application. In this paper, a near-hydrophobic hemicellulose was obtained by using single-step synthesis from poplar powder via etherification modification with epoxy chloropropane. This proposed approach has the advantage of avoiding the destruction of hemicellulose structure by secondary alkali-hydrolysis, which was what usually occurred in traditional etherification procedures. The feasibility of using epoxy chloropropane as an alkylation reagent to etherify hemicellulose was confirmed, and the reaction mechanism was elucidated. Contact angle test, thermogravimetric analysis, oxygen transmittance test, and infrared spectrum analysis showed that the barrier property and thermal stability of etherified hemicellulose films have been significantly improved. At an epoxy chloropropane/wood powder ratio (volume/weight) of 2/3 (mL/g), the epoxy hemicellulose films contained the most epoxy groups and displayed the best performance, i.e., tensile strength of 14.6 MPa, surface contact angle of 71.7° and oxygen transmission coefficient of 1.9 (cm³·µm)/(m²·d·kPa), showing great promise as barrier film in food-packaging. Full article