Bioactive Packaging Technologies for Extending Shelf Life of Food

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 September 2022) | Viewed by 6703

Special Issue Editor

College of Biosystems Engineering and Food Science, Ningbo Innovation Center, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, China
Interests: aquatic foods; functional component; targeted delivery; storage and transportation; green processing
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bioactive packaging has received increasing attention in terms of shelf-life extension of food products due to the risk in using chemical preservatives. To prevent the development and spread of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms via foodstuffs, bioactive packaging materials could be a potential alternative solution. Instead of mixing antimicrobial compounds directly with food, incorporating them in films allows the functional effect at the food surface—where microbial growth is mostly found—to be localized. Bioactive packaging includes systems such as adding a sachet into the package, dispersing bioactive agents in the packaging, coating bioactive agents on the surface of the packaging material, or utilizing antimicrobial macromolecules with film-forming properties or edible matrices. The potential of these technologies is evaluated for the preservation of food products. Antimicrobial or antioxidant compounds’ application into packaging materials and coated films but also directly into the food matrix as emulsions, nanoemulsions, coated, and others are some of their new applications.

Dr. Luyun Cai
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • bioactive packaging
  • food
  • shelf life

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 3829 KiB  
Article
Active Antioxidant Packaging from Essential Oils Incorporated Polylactic Acid/Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)/Thermoplastic Starch for Preserving Straw Mushroom
by Hang Gui, Meiyan Zhao, Shiqi Zhang, Ruoyu Yin, Changying Hu, Min Fan and Li Li
Foods 2022, 11(15), 2252; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11152252 - 28 Jul 2022
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2704
Abstract
The short-term shelf life of straw mushrooms (Volvariella volvacea) is a major challenge, hampering their wide distribution. Thus, the aim of this work was to develop a novel active packaging composed of essential oils (EOs), particularly clove oil (CO) and peppermint [...] Read more.
The short-term shelf life of straw mushrooms (Volvariella volvacea) is a major challenge, hampering their wide distribution. Thus, the aim of this work was to develop a novel active packaging composed of essential oils (EOs), particularly clove oil (CO) and peppermint oil (PO), to reduce autolysis of straw mushrooms. The morphological characterizations, mechanical properties, barrier properties, and antioxidant activities of the films were characterized. The suppressive effects of the EOs on straw mushroom autolysis were estimated during storage at 16 ± 1 °C for 96 h. The results indicated that the addition of EOs weakened the mechanical and barrier properties of the films. The radical-scavenging activities of polylactic acid/poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)/thermoplastic starch-peppermint oil (PLA/PBAT/TPS-PO) and polylactic acid/poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)/thermoplastic starch-clove oil (PLA/PBAT/TPS-CO) films for 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl were 56.0% and 91.3%, respectively. However, the PLA/PBAT/TPS-PO film was more effective in reducing polyphenol oxidase activity and maintaining the total phenol content of straw mushrooms, demonstrating better antioxidative activity. Mushrooms packaged with the PLA/PBAT/TPS-PO film exhibited the lowest autolysis rate (42.29%, p < 0.05) after 96 h of storage. Thus, PO is a good preservative agent for straw mushroom. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Packaging Technologies for Extending Shelf Life of Food)
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Review

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20 pages, 409 KiB  
Review
Antimicrobial Properties of Chilean Native Plants: Future Aspects in Their Application in the Food Industry
by María Carolina Otero, Juan A. Fuentes, Cristian Atala, Sara Cuadros-Orellana, Camila Fuentes and Felipe Gordillo-Fuenzalida
Foods 2022, 11(12), 1763; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11121763 - 15 Jun 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2846
Abstract
Food contamination with microorganisms is responsible for food spoilage, deterioration and change of organoleptic properties of foods. Besides, the growth of pathogenic microorganisms can provoke serious health problems if food is consumed. Innovative packaging, such as active packaging, is increasing rapidly in the [...] Read more.
Food contamination with microorganisms is responsible for food spoilage, deterioration and change of organoleptic properties of foods. Besides, the growth of pathogenic microorganisms can provoke serious health problems if food is consumed. Innovative packaging, such as active packaging, is increasing rapidly in the food industry, especially in applying antimicrobials into delivery systems, such as sachets. Chile is a relevant hotspot for biodiversity conservation and a source of unique bio-resources with antimicrobial potential. In this review, fifteen native plants with antimicrobial properties are described. Their antimicrobial effects include an effect against human pathogens. Considering the emergence of antimicrobial resistance, searching for new antimicrobials to design new strategies for food pathogen control is necessary. Chilean flora is a promising source of antimicrobials to be used in active packaging. However, further studies are required to advance from laboratory tests of their antimicrobial effects to their possible effects and uses in active films. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioactive Packaging Technologies for Extending Shelf Life of Food)
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