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Foods
Special Issues
Enhancing Shelf Life of Food Products: Strategies, Challenges and Innovations
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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 8482

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Alessandro Bianchi

E-Mail Website
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
Prof. Dr. Francesca Venturi

E-Mail Website
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

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

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

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 1534 KiB  
Article
Effect of Pulsed Electric Fields and Osmotic Dehydration on the Quality of Modified-Atmosphere-Packaged Fresh-Cut and Fried Potatoes
by Efimia Dermesonlouoglou, George Seretis, Maria Katsouli, Alexandros Katsimichas, Petros Taoukis and Maria Giannakourou
Foods 2025, 14(3), 420; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14030420 - 27 Jan 2025
Viewed by 460
Abstract
The aim of this research was to study the effect of osmotic dehydration (OD) and/or pulsed electric field (PEF) on the quality of MAP-packed potatoes, both as raw materials and after deep frying. Fresh-cut potato strips (from Naxos island) were osmotically dehydrated using [...] Read more.
The aim of this research was to study the effect of osmotic dehydration (OD) and/or pulsed electric field (PEF) on the quality of MAP-packed potatoes, both as raw materials and after deep frying. Fresh-cut potato strips (from Naxos island) were osmotically dehydrated using a solution of 20% glycerol, 5% sodium chloride, and 1% ascorbic acid (wt) at a 5:1 liquid-to-food ratio at 35 °C for 120 min. OD-treated and untreated samples were packaged at MAP (0.2% O2 + 12% CO2) and stored at 4, 8, and 12 °C. Color (Browning Index, BI), texture (hardness, Fmax), sensory characteristics (including total sensory quality), and microbial stability (total aerobic and anaerobic counts, Pseudomonas, Entrobacteriaceae, and yeasts/molds) were monitored during storage. After package opening, samples were deep-fried at 180 °C for up to 8 min, and the oil content of fried samples was quantified. Sensory evaluation of raw and fried samples was conducted. Untreated fresh-cut potatoes were characterized by detrimental color degradation starting from the third day of storage at 4 °C and presented microbial growth (total viable counts: 6 log (CFU)/g) on the sixth day, whereas pre-treated potato samples retained their color and microbiological stability after 15 and 18 days of cold storage, respectively. OD pre-treatment reduced the oil uptake during frying (up to 30%). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhancing Shelf Life of Food Products: Strategies, Challenges and Innovations)
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13 pages, 1639 KiB  
Article
Edible Coating Combining Liquid Smoke from Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches and Turmeric Extract to Prolong the Shelf Life of Mackerel
by Muhammad Faisal, Asri Gani, Murna Muzaifa, M. Bagas Heriansyah, Hera Desvita, Suraiya Kamaruzzaman, Ahmad Sauqi and Daru Ardiansa
Foods 2025, 14(1), 139; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14010139 - 6 Jan 2025
Viewed by 667
Abstract
This research aimed to evaluate the use of edible coating from a combination of liquid smoke and turmeric extract as a preservative for mackerel at room temperature. Liquid smoke was obtained from the pyrolysis of oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) at a [...] Read more.
This research aimed to evaluate the use of edible coating from a combination of liquid smoke and turmeric extract as a preservative for mackerel at room temperature. Liquid smoke was obtained from the pyrolysis of oil palm empty fruit bunches (OPEFB) at a temperature of 380 °C and purified by distillation at 190 °C. Liquid smoke with a concentration of 3% was combined with turmeric extract at a ratio of 2, 4, 6, and 8 g/L (CLS 2:1, CLS 4:1, CLS 6:1 and CLS 8:1). TVB-N testing showed that the mixture of liquid smoke and turmeric at a ratio of CLS 6: 1 and CLS 8: 1 maintains the freshness of fish for 48 h. Meanwhile, organoleptic testing reports that the best mixture was CLS 8:1. The number of colonies in the CLS 2:1, CLS 4:1, CLS 6:1, and CLS 8:1 mixtures were 4.92, 4.92, 4.16, and 4 × 10⁵ colonies/g after 44 h of soaking. The MPN test result at 48 h of soaking is 1.1 × 103 MPN/g. Generally, mackerel preserved with a mixture of turmeric extract and liquid smoke with a ratio of 8:1 can be consumed up to a shelf life of 48 h at room temperature storage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhancing Shelf Life of Food Products: Strategies, Challenges and Innovations)
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21 pages, 4311 KiB  
Article
Microbial and Sensory Quality Changes in Broiler Chicken Breast Meat During Refrigerated Storage
by Anna Augustyńska-Prejsnar, Miroslava Kačániová, Paweł Hanus, Zofia Sokołowicz and Mirosław Słowiński
Foods 2024, 13(24), 4063; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13244063 - 17 Dec 2024
Viewed by 846
Abstract
The aim of the study was to assess the bacterial flora of broiler chicken breast meat using the MALDI method, as well as its sensory evaluation while stored refrigerated at a stable temperature (0.5 °C+/−0.5 °C). Bacterial identification based on peptidic spectra obtained [...] Read more.
The aim of the study was to assess the bacterial flora of broiler chicken breast meat using the MALDI method, as well as its sensory evaluation while stored refrigerated at a stable temperature (0.5 °C+/−0.5 °C). Bacterial identification based on peptidic spectra obtained by matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF MS) mass spectrometry is a rapid, inexpensive, and accurate method for identifying isolates that belong to certain bacterial phyla. The microbiological and sensory quality was assessed on the 1st and 3rd, 5th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th day of refrigerated storage. The study identified psychrophilic bacteria to be the dominant microflora during the entire period of refrigerated storage. The species profile of the bacteria, however, varied in the subsequent days of storage. From the 8th day of storage, the profile was dominated by bacteria of the genus Pseudomonas. The proportionate content of Pseudomonas bacteria ranged from 89% on day 8 to 95% on day 11th of storage. The majority of the unfavourable microflora (Aeromonas species, Alcaligenes spp., Klebsiella spp., and Yersinia spp.) were observed on the 11th day of storage, which indicates that meat spoilage processes had commenced. The quality of breast meat from broiler chickens stored at 0.5 °C+/−0.5 °C was sensorially acceptable up to the 8th day of storage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhancing Shelf Life of Food Products: Strategies, Challenges and Innovations)
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12 pages, 3732 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Antioxidant and Antibacterial Activity of Gelatin Nanoparticles with Bitter Orange Peel Extract for Food Applications
by Adamaris García-Juárez, Alba Mery Garzón-García, José Rogelio Ramos-Enríquez, José Agustín Tapia-Hernández, Saúl Ruiz-Cruz, Dalila Fernanda Canizales-Rodríguez, Carmen Lizette Del-Toro-Sánchez, Francisco Rodríguez-Félix, Víctor Manuel Ocaño-Higuera and José de Jesús Ornelas-Paz
Foods 2024, 13(23), 3838; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13233838 - 28 Nov 2024
Viewed by 1140
Abstract
Bitter orange is a citrus fruit rich in bioactive compounds, but its waste is currently underutilized. One potential solution is to encapsulate these bioactive compounds. This research aims to synthesize gelatin nanoparticles loaded with an ethanolic extract of bitter orange peel and to [...] Read more.
Bitter orange is a citrus fruit rich in bioactive compounds, but its waste is currently underutilized. One potential solution is to encapsulate these bioactive compounds. This research aims to synthesize gelatin nanoparticles loaded with an ethanolic extract of bitter orange peel and to evaluate their in vitro antioxidant and antibacterial activities. Coaxial electrospray was used to encapsulate the ethanolic extract of bitter orange with bovine gelatin as wall material, considering a voltage of 15 kV, a wall solution flow rate of 0.1 mL/h, and a core solution flow rate of 0.08 mL/h. Characterization of the nanoparticles was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Antioxidant activity was evaluated by the total phenolic content, flavonoids, and antioxidant capacity by the DPPH•, ABTS•+, and FRAP assays. Antibacterial activity was assessed by the well diffusion technique on Mueller–Hinton agar against Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7 bacteria. SEM images confirmed that the nanoparticles were spherical in shape, while FT-IR analysis indicated that the incorporation of the extract did not alter the amide bonds of the gelatin protein. The nanoparticles containing the extract exhibited higher antioxidant activity and heightened inhibition against E. coli O157:H7, indicating their potential food applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhancing Shelf Life of Food Products: Strategies, Challenges and Innovations)
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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
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1118
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
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhancing Shelf Life of Food Products: Strategies, Challenges and Innovations)
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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 3 | Viewed by 2169
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
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Enhancing Shelf Life of Food Products: Strategies, Challenges and Innovations)
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