Search Results (576)

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) is a preservation and packaging technology used to extend the shelf life of foods and agricultural products, maintain quality stability, and ensure food safety. To systematically review and summarize the current research landscape, technical challenges, and development trends in the MAP field, this study selected 1568 publications related to MAP from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database during 2016–2025 and conducted bibliometric and visualization analysis. The results indicate that research activity in the MAP field has remained robust over the past decade, mainly focusing on four research areas: atmosphere regulation and packaging system design; microbial ecology, safety, and spoilage control; physicochemical deterioration and quality regulation; functional packaging materials and integrated preservation technologies. Countries such as China, Italy, and Spain have demonstrated outstanding performance in terms of publication output and academic influence in the MAP field, forming a solid research foundation in the MAP of perishable foods such as fruit and vegetables, meat products, and aquatic products. Research in the MAP field has gradually shifted from the verification of application effects toward system design and mechanistic analysis. Active packaging, intelligent packaging, bio-based materials, natural functional ingredients, volatile organic compounds, microbial community succession, and quality deterioration mechanisms have gradually become research hotspots, indicating a trend toward precision, sustainability, and functionality. These findings may provide references for future research topic selection, innovative packaging system design, and the development of novel food preservation technologies in the MAP field for foods and agricultural products. Full article

Hidden adulteration of stale berries in dried goji berry batches is difficult to detect by manual inspection or batch-level quality assessment. This study developed a high-throughput method for kernel-level spoilage adulteration quantification in dried goji berries. It addressed three practical challenges in the image processing of densely arranged dried-fruits, including scalable label generation for deep learning segmentation without pixel-level manual annotation, separation of densely touching small berries, and full-size quality level distribution map reconstruction. SAM-assisted pseudo-label generation combined with multi-scale image cropping was used to overcome the limitation of manual pixel-level annotation, while YOLO-based instance segmentation was further employed for efficient berry localization in dense scenes. The freshness labels of segmented single berries were assigned by a statistical RGB-HSV grading rule. Specifically, adaptive multi-scale image cropping for segmentation was applied to improve local separability of berries under dense adhesion and occlusion conditions. The crop-level segmentation and grading outputs were subsequently reconstructed into the original image coordinate system to generate complete quality distribution maps. Results showed that YOLO models trained based on the pseudo-labels achieved a precision of 0.953, a recall of 0.951, an mAP₅₀ of 0.960, and an mAP_50-95 of 0.846. The full-size grading map reconstruction method produced a mean duplicate-suppression rate of 4.31%. In the full freshness-grading test dataset, 4850 berries were detected, including 449 stale berries. The mean absolute counting error was 1.61%. The proposed framework reduces manual annotation requirements while enabling berry-level freshness classification and quantitative stale-berry proportion estimation, providing objective information for dried fruit quality screening and adulteration control. Full article

Global food spoilage precipitates monumental economic deficits and persistent public health risks, exposing the acute vulnerabilities of conventional passive preservation modalities reliant on energy-intensive refrigeration and synthetic additives. Intelligent responsive nanostructures (IRNs) offer a transformative paradigm for active food preservation. This review elucidates how IRNs transcend conventional approaches through dual modulation of targeted antibacterial activity and microenvironmental dynamics. Freshness visualization technologies based on colorimetric and fluorescent responses to spoilage biomarkers are delineated. Subsequently, the hierarchical antibacterial mechanisms of IRNs are elaborated, encompassing physical membrane disruption, controlled ion release, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and genetic interference. Crucially, we emphasize the synergistic strategies where lethal mechanisms are coupled with environmental regulation. The construction of active prevention systems is presented, alongside critical biosafety challenges toward sustainable nanoplatforms that autonomously maintain food quality from farm to fork. Full article

Food spoilage is mainly driven by lipid oxidation and microbial proliferation. To counteract these challenges, multifunctional protective films have emerged as effective solutions for suppressing both reactions. In this work, biodegradable polylactic acid (PLA) was selected as the polymer matrix to fabricate composite films. Colloidal ZIF-8 nanoparticles loaded with the natural antioxidant astaxanthin (AST) were mixed with PLA. By precisely controlling temperature and humidity during the solution-casting process, a honeycomb-structured PLA/AST@ZIF-8 composite film was successfully prepared. The structural and physico-chemical properties of the as-prepared film were systematically characterized by FE-SEM, FTIR, Raman, XRD, and TGA. The results confirm the formation of a well-defined honeycomb morphology, with AST uniformly dispersed throughout the PLA matrix. Importantly, films with AST content above 2.0% exhibit weak antibacterial properties. Practical application tests for preserving beef tenderloin demonstrate that the film provides excellent antioxidant and antibacterial effects. On the seventh day, the water loss, pH, ΔE and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) values of beef samples treated with the PLA/ZIF-8/2.5%AST film remained within acceptable thresholds, effectively extending the shelf life of fresh meat. Safety assessments on overall migration (OM) and Zn²⁺-specific migration confirm that the PLA/AST@ZIF-8 composite film fully complies with EU Regulation No. 10/2011. These results demonstrate the great application prospects of the composite film for high-performance food preservation. Full article

Aspergillus westerdijkiae, a filamentous fungus commonly isolated from pickled vegetables and high-salt condiments, can cause spoilage and produce nephrotoxic ochratoxin A (OTA) under saline conditions. However, its adaptive mechanisms to salt stress remain unclear. To address this, the pickle-derived strain NDX1 was subjected to 0, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mol/L NaCl treatments. Colony growth was assessed after 7 days of incubation on PDA plates supplemented with the respective NaCl concentrations. For physiological indices, mycelia were pre-cultured in salt-free PDB for 5 days, followed by the addition of NaCl to final concentrations (0, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mol/L) and further incubation for 2 days, after which relative electrical conductivity (REC) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content were measured. Colony diameters were recorded to evaluate vegetative growth; REC was determined by conductometry to assess cell membrane permeability; and MDA content was measured via the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) colorimetric method to indicate lipid peroxidation levels. Transcriptome sequencing combined with qRT-PCR validation was employed to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) involved in osmotic adaptation. Results showed that low salinity (1.0 mol/L NaCl) promoted growth, while higher concentrations (≥1.5 mol/L NaCl) inhibited it, accompanied by increased REC and decreased MDA, forming a distinctive high-permeability, low-lipid-peroxidation phenotype. A total of 3155 DEGs were detected, mainly associated with the HOG-MAPK cascade, glycerol biosynthesis, and ion transport pathways. Eight key HOG-MAPK genes and 21 glycerol metabolic genes were upregulated in a concentration-dependent manner, with the terminal kinase Hog1 coordinating transcription of downstream effectors governing glycerol synthesis and ion homeostasis. These findings demonstrate that A. westerdijkiae integrates de novo glycerol production and intracellular lipid remodeling via the HOG-MAPK pathway to achieve osmotic adaptation under hypersaline stress. This work identifies potential molecular targets for controlling toxigenic spoilage caused by this species in high-salt fermented foods. Full article

Conventional food packaging cannot actively regulate spoilage-related molecules such as ethylene and volatile organic compounds that accumulate inside sealed packages. Smart adsorption based nanocatalysts (SABNs) integrate adsorptive scaffolds, catalytic centers, and stimuli responsive triggers to progressively remove these spoilage markers. This review establishes a unified three pillar framework and critically examines how adsorption, catalytic degradation, and regeneration cycles are proposed to function under food-relevant conditions. Across major food categories, reported photocatalytic systems achieve ethylene removal efficiencies of 50% to 90% and extend shelf life by 1 to 5 days under controlled light and temperature. However, performance declines sharply under the dark, humid, and refrigerated conditions typical of real supply chains. A systematic evidence level grading of twelve representative SABN systems reveals that the majority cluster at levels L³ and L⁴, while none has yet reached level L⁵, which requires both standardized migration testing and sensory evaluation. Key barriers, including nanoparticle migration, fragmented regulation, scalability, and life-cycle impacts, are assessed. By introducing explicit inclusion/exclusion criteria and a six-level evidence grading framework, this review maps critical gaps in migration data and cold-chain validation and outlines a staged roadmap toward regulation-ready active packaging technologies. Full article

Ammonia-responsive gelatin-based composite films containing cobalt metal–organic frameworks (Co–MOFs) synthesized using gallic acid as an organic ligand were developed and evaluated as intelligent packaging materials. Co–MOFs were incorporated into gelatin films at concentrations of 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0% (w/w, based on gelatin). The effects of Co–MOF incorporation on the physicochemical, structural, thermal, mechanical, and sensing properties of gelatin films were systematically investigated. Increasing Co–MOF content reduced film moisture content (from 14.47 to 13.25–13.58%) and swelling capacity (from 599.37 to 484.88–547.30%), while increasing solubility (from 39.09 to 48.88%), water vapor permeability (WVP; from 1.652 to 2.054 g·mm/m²·h·kPa), and moisture sorption behavior. Sorption isotherm analyses based on the Guggenheim–Anderson–de Boer (GAB) and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) models confirmed enhanced water adsorption capacity and increased specific surface area in the films (from 356.13 to 455.74 m²/g). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analyses demonstrated successful incorporation of Co–MOFs into the gelatin matrix, revealing good dispersion at low and moderate concentrations and partial aggregation at higher loadings. The incorporation of Co–MOFs improved the thermal stability of the films, while only a moderate reduction in mechanical strength was observed with increasing filler content. The composite films exhibited rapid and concentration-dependent colorimetric responses toward ammonia vapor. After 120 min of exposure, the color difference (ΔE) increased from less than 1 in the control film to approximately 12, 15, 24, and 27 for G/Co–MOF2.5, G/Co–MOF5, G/Co–MOF7.5, and G/Co–MOF10 films, respectively. Films containing higher amounts of Co–MOF showed faster response kinetics and greater color differences, enabling clear visual detection of ammonia. These findings demonstrate that gelatin/Co–MOF composite films based on gallic acid-derived metal–organic frameworks are promising intelligent packaging materials for monitoring food freshness and spoilage through ammonia detection. Full article

Vineyards and wineries generate seasonal, wet and compositionally variable side-streams whose safe use is constrained by rapid spoilage, contaminants, fragmented regulation and scale. This EU-focused structured narrative review synthesised 90 scientific and official sources and proposes an integrated decision framework rather than another catalogue of valorisation routes. The framework applies a non-compensatory sequence: characterise and stabilise the batch, test route-specific hazards, assign evidence-level and technology readiness, verify legal eligibility, define a safe fallback, and only then compare material flows, environmental burdens and risk-adjusted economics. Current implementation evidence is strongest for controlled composting, conventional wastewater treatment, anaerobic digestion and selected grape-seed oil, polyphenol and heat-integrated biochar operations; clinical, plant-protection and several novel-extract claims remain product- and context-specific. Illustrative ENPV cases show that high-value extraction can offer greater upside but lower robustness than compost/biochar when moisture, transport, rejection and price uncertainty are included. The framework provides an auditable basis for pilot design, regional cooperation and data collection, while explicitly requiring industrial and multi-season validation before investment or product approval. Full article

This study evaluated the antimicrobial properties of Piper carpunya extracts, which are traditionally used by Ecuadorian indigenous communities, and validated the in vitro findings in a real food matrix. Three different extracts (ethanolic, hydroethanolic, and aqueous-lyophilized) were evaluated by the agar well diffusion method against a panel of 20 microbial strains comprising both foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms. The extracts with the highest yield and antimicrobial activity were then tested in a precooked risotto formulated under commercial conditions, in challenge tests with Clostridium perfringens. All extracts inhibited C. perfringens at a minimum inhibitory concentration below 80 mg/mL, the ethanol extract being the most effective. In the risotto model, the ethanol–water extract (8%, w/w) reduced C. perfringens counts by approximately 2 log CFU/g relative to the inoculated control and also lowered aerobic mesophilic and psychrophilic counts, whereas the freeze-dried extract was less effective and bacterial counts declined only until day 4 of storage. Both extracts slightly reduced pH and water activity and, rather than protecting the lipid fraction, exhibited a prooxidant effect; nevertheless, malondialdehyde remained below 0.35 mg/kg throughout the 30-day storage period, well below the thresholds associated with perceptible rancidity. P. carpunya extracts show potential as natural ingredients for improving the microbiological safety of ready-to-eat foods, and their chemical and sensory characterization is required before practical application. Full article

Dairy product spoilage is primarily caused by microbial contamination and lipase activity. Systematically assessing contamination risks and elucidating the structural and functional characteristics of key lipases form a crucial foundation for achieving precise prevention and control. This article integrated 79 studies (2003–2025) to preliminarily explore the geographical distribution characteristics of spoilage bacterial contamination. The combined contamination rates were relatively high in South America (89.5%), North America (88.3%) and Asia (87.3%), followed by Europe (86.0%) and Oceania (82.2%), while Africa showed a lower rate (57.6%) based on limited data. Product-level risk differences were also identified. Considering data robustness, in addition to raw milk (92.6%), milk powder also showed a high contamination rate (86.8%). The spoilage bacterial community was highly concentrated, with Bacillus (40.7%) and Pseudomonas (20.3%) as the dominant genera, and Pseudomonas fluorescens (21.1%) and Bacillus licheniformis (20.1%) as the core spoilage species. Furthermore, structural analysis of 37 key lipases demonstrated that these enzymes universally possess a hydrophobic surface, high lipid affinity, and a conserved α/β hydrolase folding conformation. Based on these predictions, we propose a structural hypothesis: these characteristics may be related to their retained activity after thermal processing. Unlike traditional meta-analyses that merely report pollution rates, and unlike independent bioinformatics studies that analyze lipases from arbitrary strains, this study ensures that the lipases analyzed have epidemiological relevance. This work provides scientific grounds for monitoring, early warning, and risk assessment of dairy spoilage. It also lays a theoretical foundation for developing novel inhibitors targeting thermostable lipases. Full article

This study evaluated the effects of milk type, UV-C treatment condition and refrigerated storage on selected quality characteristics of ayran. Cow and buffalo milk was standardised to 1.5% fat and subjected to UV-C treatment at flow rates of 20 or 40 mL/min, corresponding to calculated nominal doses of 54 and 27 J/mL, respectively. Conventionally pasteurised milks were used as controls. During ayran production, all samples were subsequently heated at 90 °C for 5 min, fermented to pH 4.30 and stored at 4 °C for 14 days. Physicochemical, instrumental textural, colour, starter culture and organic acid characteristics were evaluated during storage. The measured responses varied according to milk matrix, UV-C treatment condition and storage duration, and no single treatment was consistently favourable for all parameters. At day 14, C20 showed the highest dry matter content (5.12%), firmness (15.43 g), consistency (292.32 g·s) and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus count (7.52 log CFU/mL). In contrast, B40 showed the highest Streptococcus thermophilus count (8.14 log CFU/mL), lactic acid concentration (15,092.95 mg/kg) and concentrations of most of the other organic acids evaluated, whereas C20 showed the highest acetic acid concentration (1122.14 mg/kg). During storage, pH, dry matter, citric acid, ascorbic acid and starter culture counts generally decreased, while most other organic acids increased. Instrumental colour parameters also changed according to treatment group and storage duration. These findings provide preliminary laboratory-scale evidence that UV-C pretreatment can influence selected quality characteristics of ayran. However, because UV-C-treated samples subsequently underwent thermal processing, the results represent a combined UV-C and thermal processing sequence rather than an exclusively non-thermal process. Sensory acceptability, pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms, oxidative stability, extended shelf life, and scale-up performance should be evaluated before practical application is considered. Full article

This study evaluated a compound chemical additive (CA) composed of potassium sorbate, sodium benzoate, and sodium nitrite. Potassium sorbate is suitable for high-temperature ensiling, while sodium nitrite functions well under low-temperature conditions, and sodium benzoate inhibits bacterial energy metabolism. This compound theoretically provides stable antibacterial effects across variable storage temperatures. The effects of CA on fermentation quality, aerobic stability, and microbial communities of high-moisture corn (HMC) silage were investigated at 35 °C and 5 °C, including the control group (CON) and CA group. After 28 days of fermentation and 7 days of aerobic exposure, microbial communities were analyzed via high-throughput sequencing. CA significantly improved silage quality at both temperatures, increasing lactic acid and crude protein content, reducing pH, NH₃-N and neutral detergent fiber, and suppressing yeasts and enterobacteria to enhance aerobic stability. Storage temperature dominated microbial community composition, while CA further optimized microbial structure. At 35 °C, CA eliminated spoilage yeast Nakaseomyces glabratus and enriched Levilactobacillus brevis and Aspergillus spp. with elevated relative abundance. At 5 °C, CA inhibited cold-resistant spoilage microbes, promoted the accumulation of Latilactobacillus curvatus, and restricted cyanobacteria growth. Metabolic prediction indicated that CA was correlated with pathways related to enhanced lactic acid synthesis and inhibited proteolysis and silage spoilage. In conclusion, CA effectively stabilizes HMC silage by regulating microbial and metabolic characteristics under different temperatures, serving as a promising temperature-adaptive preservative. Full article

Fresh-food retail demand is only partially observed when products stock out: point-of-sale records report sales, whereas the unmet part of demand is censored. This study develops a probabilistic decision-support framework, termed CADRE, that treats stockout-flagged observations as lower bounds, separates recurring diurnal structure from censoring effects, and shapes the replenishment decision with an asymmetric shortage–spoilage loss. The evaluation uses FreshRetailNet-50K, an hourly Chinese fresh-retail benchmark with observed stockout labels, and a complementary daily robustness experiment on the Ecuadorian Favorita panel with a constructed high-demand censoring mask. On FreshRetailNet-50K, CADRE reduces weighted absolute percentage error (WAPE) from 39.42% for the TimeXer backbone to 36.71% and reduces re-censored demand bias from $-8.1\%$ to $-1.3\%$. In a controlled replenishment simulation on known re-censored demand, modelled waste decreases from 9.8% under a censored-sales policy to 6.4% under CADRE while service level increases from 92.9% to 94.7%. These results indicate potential improvements in replenishment decision support under the evaluated assumptions, rather than measured operational food-waste or emissions reductions. Operational food-waste and emission effects remain to be validated through field deployment. Full article

Seaweeds are valuable marine resources rich in polysaccharides and polyphenols. Carbon dots (CDs) from Gracilaria salicornia (GS-CDs), Halymenia dilatata (HD-CDs), Sargasum polycystum (SP-CDs), Spatoglossum asperum (SA-CDs), Ulva lactuca (UL-CDs), and Caulerpa peltata (CP-CDs) were synthesized by a hydrothermal process and characterized by FTIR, XPS, and SEM-EDX. All the CDs had sizes less than 10 nm with spherical morphology and various functional groups. UL-CDs showed the strongest UV-A blocking efficacy via the measurement of light transmission (p < 0.05). HD-CDs exhibited the highest DPPH-RS-A (148.32 ± 1.51 μmol TE/L) and FRA-P (717.24 ± 7.87 μmol TE/L), whereas SA-CDs had the highest ABTS-RS-A (1043.40 ± 3.00 μmol TE/L). HD-CDs had antifungal activity against both Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. All CDs suppressed the proliferation of both pathogenic and spoilage bacteria; however, high MIC values indicated the limited antibacterial effectiveness. CDs up to 500 mg/L maintained cell viability greater than 80% towards normal BJ cells. When SA-CDs (500 ppm) were incorporated into peeled and deveined Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei), lipid peroxidation during 10 days of refrigerated storage was retarded, as evidenced by lower PV, TBARS, and greater PUFA retention than the control and ascorbic acid-treated samples. Heat map and PCA analyses revealed that lipid oxidation was governed by CD type and storage time. Full article

Traditional fermented sausages are widely consumed in China but often face quality and safety risks due to contamination by spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms during natural fermentation. This study investigated the effect of Litsea cubeba essential oil (LCEO) on the microbial community structure and volatile flavor compounds (VFCs) of fermented sausages using multi-omics approaches, including 16S/ITS amplicon sequencing and HS-SPME-GC-MS. The results showed that LCEO significantly altered the microbial community, increasing the relative abundance of Lactobacillus from 4.65% to 76.22% and Debaryomyces from 11.95% to 22.35%, while reducing Staphylococcus and Aspergillus by 47.01% to 4.55% and 37.28% to 17.09%, respectively. A total of 695 VFCs were identified, with terpenoids and hydrocarbons being the most abundant. A differential analysis revealed that LCEO enhanced the relative content of key aroma-active compounds, including ethyl esters and aldehydes, with odor activity values exceeding 1 for fruity-related compounds such as decanoic acid, ethyl ester and nonanoic acid, methyl ester. Strikingly, the elevated levels of these fruity esters translated into significantly higher sensory scores for odor (p < 0.05) in LCEO-treated sausages, as panelists consistently perceived a pronounced fruity and fresh aroma profile, ultimately leading to a superior overall acceptability compared to the control. A correlation analysis indicated strong positive associations between Lactobacillus, Debaryomyces, and major flavor-contributing esters. In conclusion, LCEO potentially reduces the microbial risks and improves the flavor profile of fermented sausages, making it a promising natural additive for meat fermentation. Full article