Enhancing Shelf Life of Food Products: Strategies, Challenges and Innovations

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 6 May 2025 | Viewed by 3828

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, via del Borhetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Interests: food technology; novel foods; sensory analysis; bread; sourdough; shelf life; wine; olive oil; food waste; food quality

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Guest Editor
Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, via del Borhetto 80, 56124 Pisa, Italy
Interests: food technology; food quality; sensory analysis; shelf life; food stability; bread; sourdough; wine; olive oil; food waste; food fortification; food enrichment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The preservation of food products' quality during storage is a crucial step for reducing food waste and enhancing sustainability. This Special Issue explores current techniques, strategies, and innovations aimed at extending the shelf life of various food products. Factors influencing shelf life—including advanced packaging technologies, optimal storage conditions, minimal processing methods, and formulation adjustments—are examined for their effects on microbial growth, oxidation processes, and sensory quality preservation. Innovations such as active and intelligent packaging systems, natural antimicrobial agents, and novel processing techniques are highlighted for their potential to maintain nutritional quality and sensory acceptability while extending shelf life. The issue also addresses emerging technologies and holistic approaches that integrate sustainability and minimal processing to meet modern consumer demands. Regulatory considerations and consumer preferences in food preservation are addressed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the evolving landscape of shelf life extension. To this extent, this Special Issue emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary approaches and continuous advancements in food science and technology to meet the global demand for safe, high-quality food products with extended shelf life.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

  • Strategies and innovations in food shelf life.
  • Shelf life extension, evaluation, and modelling.
  • Advanced storage conditions.
  • Sustainability in packaging.
  • Oxidative stability.
  • Innovative processing technologies.
  • Microbial growth inhibition.
  • Formulation improvements.
  • Sensory quality preservation.
  • Minimal processing techniques

Dr. Alessandro Bianchi
Prof. Dr. Francesca Venturi
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • advanced packaging technologies
  • sensory quality deterioration
  • impact of bioactive compounds
  • food formulation and storage
  • consumer preferences
  • natural antimicrobial agents
  • food waste reduction
  • accelerated shelf life testing
  • quality preservation
  • active modified atmosphere packaging

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 720 KiB  
Article
Dry-Cured Sausages “Salchichón” Manufactured with a Valorized Ingredient from Red Grape Pomace (Var. Tempranillo)
by Matilde D’Arrigo, María Jesús Petrón, Jonathan Delgado-Adámez, Jesús Javier García-Parra, María Jesús Martín-Mateos and María Rosario Ramírez-Bernabé
Foods 2024, 13(19), 3133; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193133 - 30 Sep 2024
Viewed by 836
Abstract
The inclusion of an ingredient made from red grape pomace (RGP) var. Tempranillo was evaluated for the preservation of a traditional dry-cured sausages (salchichón). The pomace was valorized through thermal blanching (103 °C for 1 min) and hydrostatic high-pressure treatment (600 MPa/5 min) [...] Read more.
The inclusion of an ingredient made from red grape pomace (RGP) var. Tempranillo was evaluated for the preservation of a traditional dry-cured sausages (salchichón). The pomace was valorized through thermal blanching (103 °C for 1 min) and hydrostatic high-pressure treatment (600 MPa/5 min) before the addition to salchichón. Four formulations of salchichón were evaluated, including a negative control (NC—without red grape pomace or synthetic additives), positive control (PC—with ascorbic acid and nitrites), low level (LL—0.5%), and high level (HL—1%) of RGP. Physicochemical, microbiological, and sensorial effects were analyzed. RGP reduced the final pH of salchichón and favored the growth of lactic acid bacteria at similar levels as PC. The addition of ascorbic acid and nitrites resulted in a final product with a redder and less yellow color than the other formulations. This cured color was not reached with the addition of RGP. However, its inclusion slightly reduced lipid and protein oxidation in salchichón. PC showed high levels of sulfur and terpene levels in a volatile profile, although at a sensory level, only differences in spicy taste were not noticed by panelists. The incorporation of the ingredient could enable the substitution of nitrites with valorized red grape pomace in sausages, although the desirable color achieved with nitrifying salts was not fully attained. Full article
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20 pages, 5019 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Deer Sous Vide Meat Shelf Life and Safety with Eugenia caryophyllus Essential Oil against Salmonella enterica
by Miroslava Kačániová, Stefania Garzoli, Anis Ben Hsouna, Zhaojun Ban, Joel Horacio Elizondo-Luevano, Maciej Ireneusz Kluz, Rania Ben Saad, Peter Haščík, Natália Čmiková, Božena Waskiewicz-Robak, Ján Kollár and Alessandro Bianchi
Foods 2024, 13(16), 2512; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13162512 - 12 Aug 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1877
Abstract
Modern lifestyles have increased the focus on food stability and human health due to evolving industrial goals and scientific advancements. Pathogenic microorganisms significantly challenge food quality, with Salmonella enterica and other planktonic cells capable of forming biofilms that make them more resistant to [...] Read more.
Modern lifestyles have increased the focus on food stability and human health due to evolving industrial goals and scientific advancements. Pathogenic microorganisms significantly challenge food quality, with Salmonella enterica and other planktonic cells capable of forming biofilms that make them more resistant to broad-spectrum antibiotics. This research examined the chemical composition and antibacterial and antibiofilm properties of the essential oil from Eugenia caryophyllus (ECEO) derived from dried fruits. GC-MS analyses identified eugenol as the dominant component at 82.7%. Additionally, the study aimed to extend the shelf life of sous vide deer meat by applying a plant essential oil and inoculating it with S. enterica for seven days at 4 °C. The essential oil demonstrated strong antibacterial activity against S. enterica. The ECEO showed significant antibiofilm activity, as indicated by the MBIC crystal violet test results. Data from MALDI-TOF MS analysis revealed that the ECEO altered the protein profiles of bacteria on glass and stainless-steel surfaces. Furthermore, the ECEO was found to have a beneficial antibacterial effect on S. enterica. In vacuum-packed sous vide red deer meat samples, the anti-Salmonella activity of the ECEO was slightly higher than that of the control samples. These findings underscore the potential of the ECEO’s antibacterial and antibiofilm properties in food preservation and extending the shelf life of meat. Full article
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