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Food Packaging and Preservation Technologies for Improving Fresh Product Shelf...
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Food Packaging and Preservation Technologies for Improving Fresh Product Shelf Life

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Packaging and Preservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 August 2025 | Viewed by 919

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Xia Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of Food Nutrition and Safety, College of Food Science and Engineering, Tianjin University Science and Technology, Tianjin 300457, China
Interests: postharvest physiology of agricultural products; processing and preservation of grain and oil; development of preservative and preservative film of agricultural products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food preservation and packaging technologies play a pivotal role in determining the shelf life of fresh products. In the modern food industry, maintaining the quality, freshness, and safety of fresh produce, meats, dairy, and other perishable items is of utmost importance. This not only reduces food waste but also ensures that consumers have access to high-quality, nutritious food.

The development of innovative packaging materials and preservation techniques can significantly extend the shelf life of fresh products. These technologies help in controlling factors such as oxygen, moisture, microbial growth, and enzymatic activity, all of which contribute to the spoilage of fresh goods. For instance, modified atmosphere packaging can alter the gas composition around the product, while new-generation antimicrobial packaging materials can inhibit the growth of harmful microorganisms.

This Special Issue of Foods, titled “Food Packaging and Preservation Technologies for Improving Fresh Product Shelf Life”, invites contributions in the form of original research papers or reviews. The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following aspects:

  1. Exploration of novel packaging materials, such as biodegradable, intelligent, and active packaging, and their impact on fresh product shelf life;
  2. Evaluation of emerging preservation technologies, like high-pressure processing, pulsed-electric field treatment, and non-thermal plasma, in maintaining fresh product quality;
  3. Understanding the interaction between packaging, preservation techniques, and the biochemical and microbiological characteristics of fresh products;
  4. Strategies for optimizing the combination of packaging and preservation methods to enhance the overall shelf life and marketability of fresh products.

Prof. Dr. Xia Liu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • food preservation
  • food packaging
  • shelf life
  • quality control
  • fresh products

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 1778 KiB  
Article
The Role of CO2 Levels in High-Oxygen Modified Atmosphere Packaging on Microbial Communities of Chilled Goat Meat During Storage and Their Relationship with Quality Attributes
by Samart Sai-Ut, Sylvia Indriani, Nattanan Srisakultiew, Passakorn Kingwascharapong, Sarisa Suriyarak, Utthapon Issara, Suphat Phongthai, Saroat Rawdkuen and Jaksuma Pongsetkul
Foods 2025, 14(11), 1837; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14111837 - 22 May 2025
Viewed by 219
Abstract
This study investigated the influence of CO2 levels (20–40%: M20, M30, and M40) in high-oxygen modified atmosphere packaging (Hi-O2 MAP) on microbial communities and quality attributes of chilled goat meat stored at 4 °C for 12 days. Alpha diversity indices (Chao1, [...] Read more.
This study investigated the influence of CO2 levels (20–40%: M20, M30, and M40) in high-oxygen modified atmosphere packaging (Hi-O2 MAP) on microbial communities and quality attributes of chilled goat meat stored at 4 °C for 12 days. Alpha diversity indices (Chao1, ACE, Simpson, and Shannon) revealed a significant decline in microbial diversity over time, with storage duration exerting a greater impact than packaging conditions. Nonetheless, MAP played a crucial role in shaping microbial profiles, with air packaging (AP) showing the most distinct community, while M40 differed notably from M20 and M30, particularly by day 12, as shown by beta diversity analysis using principal coordinates analysis (PCoA). Proteobacteria and Firmicutes dominated microbial composition, with Pseudomonas and Brochothrix linked to spoilage in AP, while MAP, especially M40, favored the growth of Lactococcus, Acinetobacter, and Vagococcus, enhancing microbial stability. Despite pathogen levels remaining within safe limits, AP exceeded the spoilage threshold (TVC > 7.00 log colony-forming unit (CFU)/g), whereas all MAPs extended shelf life, with M40 most effectively suppressing microbial growth (p < 0.05). Interestingly, metagenomic functional profiling revealed that elevated CO2 levels (>30%) altered metabolic pathways, shifting spoilage mechanisms from protein degradation in AP to carbohydrate metabolism in MAP, potentially influencing odor and texture attributes. MAP, particularly M40, also reduced protein and lipid degradation and oxidation, as indicated by lower total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARSs), and shear force, suggesting better prevention of increased meat hardness and the development of undesirable odors and flavors, although high CO2 negatively affected redness. Overall, M40 provided the greatest microbial stability and shelf life extension, highlighting the potential of optimized CO2 levels in Hi-O2 MAP to preserve goat meat quality and regulate spoilage dynamics. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Packaging and Preservation Technologies for Improving Fresh Product Shelf Life)
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25 pages, 9613 KiB  
Article
Design and Research of a New Cold Storage: The Phase-Temperature Storage (PTS) to Reduce Evaporator Frosting
by Lihua Duan, Yanli Zheng, Yunbin Jiang, Wenhan Li, Limei Li, Bin Liu, Bin Li and Xihong Li
Foods 2025, 14(9), 1592; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14091592 - 30 Apr 2025
Viewed by 196
Abstract
This paper introduces a novel cold storage: phase-temperature storage, which is characterized by its distinctive coupling jacket structure that connects the sub-storehouse units to the main storehouse. This innovative design facilitates heat transfer while effectively inhibiting mass transfer. Experimental results indicate that polyethylene [...] Read more.
This paper introduces a novel cold storage: phase-temperature storage, which is characterized by its distinctive coupling jacket structure that connects the sub-storehouse units to the main storehouse. This innovative design facilitates heat transfer while effectively inhibiting mass transfer. Experimental results indicate that polyethylene film, with a thermal conductivity of 0.42 W/m·K, is a more suitable material for constructing sub-storehouses. Enhancing the surface area of the sub-storehouse and increasing convective wind speed are identified as key factors for improving convective heat transfer within the sub-storehouse. Moreover, the optimized design ensures a more uniform temperature distribution inside the sub-storehouse. In contrast to conventional cold storage, the defrosting unit in phase-temperature storage consumes only 5.72 units of energy under equivalent conditions, compared to 154.02 units for conventional cold storage. This demonstrates that the energy expenditure during the defrosting process of phase temperature storage is less than 4% of that required by conventional cold storage, achieving an energy savings rate exceeding 96%. Under identical circumstances, conventional cold storage consumes a total of 36.359 units of electrical energy for defrosting, with 34.231 units being released as defrosting waste heat into the cold storage environment, resulting in a loss rate of approximately 94.13%. Based on apple preservation experiments, phase-temperature storage exhibited significantly superior performance compared to conventional cold storage in terms of apple respiratory peak, weight loss rate, hardness, and TSS content, with respective values of 17.05 CO2 mg·kg−1·h−1, 2.89%, 9.29 N, and 16.3%. In contrast, the conventional cold storage group recorded values of 18.15 CO2 mg·kg−1·h−1, 5.16%, 8.42 N, and 14.9%. These results highlight the exceptional freshness-retention capabilities of phase-temperature storage, underscoring its considerable potential for application in storage systems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Packaging and Preservation Technologies for Improving Fresh Product Shelf Life)
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13 pages, 1788 KiB  
Article
The Super Anti-Browning Effect of High-Oxygen Pretreatment Combined with Cod Peptides on Fresh-Cut Potatoes During Storage
by Jiaxuan Zheng, Yishan Jiang, Aiguang Li, Mengfei Peng, Ting Wang, Runlei Kou, Ji Kang and Xia Liu
Foods 2025, 14(9), 1564; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14091564 - 29 Apr 2025
Viewed by 306
Abstract
Enzymatic browning poses a formidable obstacle to the commercial sustainability of fresh-cut potatoes. Although the synergistic effects of bio-inductive technologies with natural compounds in anti-browning strategies have been observed, their full potential remains underexplored. To fulfill the demand for synergistic approaches in real-world [...] Read more.
Enzymatic browning poses a formidable obstacle to the commercial sustainability of fresh-cut potatoes. Although the synergistic effects of bio-inductive technologies with natural compounds in anti-browning strategies have been observed, their full potential remains underexplored. To fulfill the demand for synergistic approaches in real-world applications, this research elucidates the complementary effects of short-term high-oxygen (HO, 80%) treatment of whole tubers in conjunction with cod peptides (CP, 0.1%) applied to fresh-cut potato slices in mitigating browning. The results demonstrated that the combined treatment (HO + CP) showed superior anti-browning efficacy compared to single treatments (HO or CP) and the untreated group (control). Specifically, peroxidase (POD) and polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activities were suppressed by 55.7% and 35.1%, respectively, under the synergistic treatment compared with the control after 8 days of storage. Meanwhile, increases in the activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL), along with an approximately 117% increase in total phenolic content, were noted with synergistic treatment. Furthermore, the combined treatment reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation by 17.5% on day 8. This effect may be attributed to enhanced antioxidant capacity and the preservation of membrane integrity. In summary, this novel strategy provides a practical synergistic solution for the control of enzymatic browning in fresh-cut potatoes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Food Packaging and Preservation Technologies for Improving Fresh Product Shelf Life)
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