Green and Healthier Alternatives to Chemical Additives as Cheese Preservative: Natural Antimicrobials in Active Nanopackaging/Coatings

The side effects and potential impacts on human health by traditional chemical additives as food preservatives (i.e., potassium and sodium salts) are the reasons why novel policies are encouraged by worldwide public health institutes. More natural alternatives with high antimicrobial efficacy to extend shelf life without impairing the cheese physicochemical and sensory quality are encouraged. This study is a comprehensive review of emerging preservative cheese methods, including natural antimicrobials (e.g., vegetable, animal, and protist kingdom origins) as a preservative to reduce microbial cheese contamination and to extend shelf life by several efforts such as manufacturing ingredients, the active ingredient for coating/packaging, and the combination of packaging materials or processing technologies. Essential oils (EO) or plant extracts rich in phenolic and terpenes, combined with packaging conditions and non-thermal methods, generally showed a robust microbial inhibition and prolonged shelf life. However, it impaired the cheese sensory quality. Alternatives including EO, polysaccharides, polypeptides, and enzymes as active ingredients/nano-antimicrobials for an edible film of coating/nano-bio packaging showed a potent and broad-spectrum antimicrobial action during shelf life, preserving cheese quality parameters such as pH, texture, color, and flavor. Future opportunities were identified in order to investigate the toxicological effects of the discussed natural antimicrobials’ potential as cheese preservatives.

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Evolution of Some Fruit Quality Parameters during Development and Ripening of Three Apricot Cultivars and Effect of Harvest Maturity on Postharvest Maturation

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11070639 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 639

Author(s):

Belén Velardo-Micharet ◽

Francisco Agudo-Corbacho ◽

M. Concepción Ayuso-Yuste ◽

María Josefa Bernalte-García

Keyword(s):

Shelf Life ◽

Sensory Quality ◽

Fruit Size ◽

Quality Parameters ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Total Acidity ◽

Life Changes ◽

Global Quality ◽

The One ◽

Harvest Maturity

The objective of this study was to evaluate the fruit development, the quality at harvest and the shelf-life changes of three apricot cultivars—‘Spring Blush’, ‘Robada’, and ‘Kioto’—produced in the conditions of the Southwest Iberian Peninsula. Pomological characteristics and global quality (colour, firmness, total soluble solids, and total acidity) were weekly evaluated during fruit growth and ripening. Apricots were harvested at commercial ripening, and six and three days before, were tested for each harvest on the harvesting day and after three and five days of shelf-life at 20 °C, evaluating chlorophyll and carotenoids content and sensory quality. ‘Spring Blush’ was the earliest cultivar with a small calibre, and the change in colour was found to depend more on the evolution during the shelf-life than on the harvest date; although the panellists rated it well, it presented a significant lack of firmness for successful marketing. ‘Robada’ was the cultivar with the lowest evolution of colour, sugar and acid content, and it was the worst valued by tasters. In ‘Kioto’, differences in soluble solids, acidity, and colour were of high importance in the last days of development on the tree. ‘Kioto’ was the cultivar that showed the largest fruit size and colouring during the ripening on the tree, as well as the one with the highest overall quality that improves during shelf-life.

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Sensory quality of stored croissant-type bakery products.

Czech Journal of Food Sciences ◽

10.17221/3519-cjfs ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 20 (No. 3) ◽

pp. 105-112 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

B. Hozová ◽

I. Kukurová ◽

R. Turicová ◽

L. Dodok

Keyword(s):

Shelf Life ◽

Sensory Quality ◽

Sorbic Acid ◽

Quality Parameters ◽

Bakery Products ◽

Laboratory Conditions

The results are presented of the estimation of sensory quality (shape, odour, colour, taste, consistency, crust, crumb etc.), mould and yeast counts, aw value, and pH in 8 bakery croissant-type products with nougat cream filling during storage under laboratory conditions (20 ± 2°C) for the periods of up to 90 days (0; 30; 45; 60; 75 and 90 days). The products differed in the type of dough (brioche, croissant), the aw value of the cream, and in the presence or absence of sorbic acid in the spirit spray applied onto the surface of the products under investigation. The above-indicated parameters were examined also in the nougat cream samples on day 0 and 90 of the storage. The selected quality parameters permitted to estimate the shelf life of the products in the dependence on various technological conditions (sorbic acid, recipe, aw value).  

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Effect of PLA Active Packaging Containing Monoterpene-Cyclodextrin Complexes on Berries Preservation

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13091399 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 1399

Author(s):

Friné Velázquez-Contreras ◽

Nelsy García-Caldera ◽

José Daniel Padilla de la Rosa ◽

Domingo Martínez-Romero ◽

Estrella Núñez-Delicado ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Shelf Life ◽

Sensory Quality ◽

Headspace Analysis ◽

Active Packaging ◽

Soluble Solids ◽

Poly Lactic Acid ◽

Total Phenolic ◽

Release Mechanism ◽

Microbial Inhibition ◽

Solids Content

Blackberries and raspberries are highly perishable and fragile products, which limits their shelf life. The effect of biodegradable active packaging of blackberries and raspberries containing 2.5% and 5.0% weight (wt%) of thymol or carvacrol complexed in β-cyclodextrins (β-CDs), successively added to poly (lactic acid) (PLA), and melt-processed by injection molding was evaluated under stored conditions at 4 °C for 21 days, using as reference commercial clamshell and PLA package control samples. Thus, physicochemical, headspace, microbiological, and sensory quality studies were carried out in order to compare the efficacy of the different packages. Concerning weight loss, color, and total phenolic and soluble solids content, significant differences were detected when compared with commercial clamshell packaging. The results show that the PLA packages containing thymol and carvacrol complexes maintained the color, weight, and phenolic content of berries until day 21, with a score up to 45% better compared to commercial clamshell. The headspace analysis detected 101 mg L−1 (ppm) of thymol and 35 ppm of carvacrol on the first day of refrigeration; these concentrations decreased with time. This release mechanism of carvacrol and thymol into the PLA package modified the initial atmosphere composition. After 21 days of storage, the berries had 4.25 degrees of acceptance, without adverse perception of aroma or flavor for both carvacrol and thymol compounds. A general microbial inhibition was observed for yeast and molds, which increased with the concentration of monoterpene in PLA packages, and showed an inhibition of 3.5 log units for PLA packages containing thymol, and of 3 log units for those containing carvacrol. Overall results show that PLA/β-CD-thymol 5.0% packages prolonged raspberries’ and blackberries’ shelf life by one more week at 4 °C, compared with commercial clamshell packaging.

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Effect of different time of bagging for ensuring quality mangoes Cv. Mishribhog

Journal of Bioscience and Agriculture Research ◽

10.18801/jbar.250220.258 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 2114-2121

Author(s):

M. T. Islam ◽

M. S. Zoha ◽

M. S. Uddin ◽

M. A. Bari ◽

M. H. Rahman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Shelf Life ◽

Sensory Quality ◽

Block Design ◽

White Paper ◽

Quality Parameters ◽

Environment Friendly ◽

Randomized Complete Block Design ◽

Soluble Solid ◽

Β Carotene ◽

Fruit Bagging

Fruit bagging is a newly developed technology, widely used by the farmers, easy practice, and environment friendly and useful for high quality mango production in Bangladesh Four treatments were included in this experiment namely non-bag (control); white polythene bag; single layered white paper bag and double layered brown paper bag. The fruits were bag at 35, 45 and 55 days after fruit set. The experiment was carried out in the Randomized Complete Block Design with three replications. Fruit bagging has direct effect on fruit length, diameter, fresh weight and pulp weight (9.49cm, 8.31cm, 295.8g and 267.4g, respectively) while minimum was recorded in non-bagged control fruits (7.75cm, 6.91cm, 211.1g and 182.0g, respectively) at 35 and 45 days. In addition, the total sugar, reducing sugars, total soluble solid, ascorbic acid, pH and β-carotene were improved over control fruits. Brown paper bags are competent to change the fruit color. Brown paper bag extended shelf life up to 9 days with premier sensory quality as against 5 days of non-bagged control fruits.Considering the results, double layered brown and single layered white paper bagged fruits performed the best in respect of quality parameters and extending shelf life in mango cv. Mishribhog.

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Evaluation of Hot Water, Gaseous Chlorine Dioxide, and Chlorine Treatments in Combination with an Edible Coating for Enhancing Safety, Quality, and Shelf Life of Fresh-Cut Cantaloupes

Journal of Food Protection ◽

10.4315/0362-028x.jfp-17-392 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 81 (4) ◽

pp. 534-541 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

CRISTINA ALICEA ◽

BASSAM A. ANNOUS ◽

DAIZA P. MENDEZ ◽

ANGELA BURKE ◽

LYNETTE E. ORELLANA

Keyword(s):

Shelf Life ◽

Chlorine Dioxide ◽

Sensory Quality ◽

Storage Period ◽

Quality Parameters ◽

Hot Water ◽

Intervention Treatment ◽

Gaseous Chlorine Dioxide ◽

Fresh Cut ◽

Pathogen Populations

ABSTRACT Fresh-cut cantaloupes have been implicated in numerous foodborne outbreaks of salmonellosis. Commercial aqueous wash treatments are limited in their ability to inactivate Salmonella enterica. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of hot water, gaseous chlorine dioxide, and chlorine on enhancing microbial safety and sensory qualities of fresh-cut cantaloupes. Cantaloupes were inoculated with an S. enterica cocktail (serovars Michigan, Mbandaka, and Poona) and treated with chlorine (200 ppm of free chlorine) for 40 min, 5 mg/L gaseous chlorine dioxide for 4.5 h, and hot water (76.1°C) for 3 min. Fresh-cut cantaloupes were prepared from treated whole cantaloupes and divided into two sets; one set of samples was treated with NatureSeal to evaluate its effect on shelf life and sensory quality and the second set (control) was packed without further treatment. Fresh-cut samples were stored at 4°C for up to 21 days. For the sensory quality parameters analyzed (color, water loss, and texture), the samples treated with NatureSeal had significantly better quality (P < 0.05) than did the control samples. All treatments significantly reduced (P < 0.05) the pathogen populations on the rind of the whole melons and on the fresh-cut samples prepared from the treated melons. All fresh-cut samples prepared from melons treated with hot water were negative for Salmonella throughout the storage period except for the samples treated with hot water and NatureSeal and evaluated on day 7. The fresh-cut samples prepared from melons treated with chlorine dioxide and chlorine were negative for Salmonella after 21 days of storage. These results provide a framework to producers of fresh-cut cantaloupes for the potential use of hot water as an intervention treatment in combination with NatureSeal for enhancing the microbiological safety and quality of this commodity.

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High Oxygen Packaging of Atlantic Cod Fillets Inhibits Known Spoilage Organisms, but Sensory Quality Is Not Improved Due to the Growth of Carnobacterium/Carnobacteriaceae

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods10081754 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 1754

Author(s):

Anlaug Ådland Hansen ◽

Solveig Langsrud ◽

Ingunn Berget ◽

Mari Øvrum Gaarder ◽

Birgitte Moen

Keyword(s):

Shelf Life ◽

Sensory Quality ◽

Atlantic Cod ◽

Bacterial Load ◽

Modified Atmosphere Packaging ◽

Volatile Components ◽

Spoilage Bacteria ◽

Before And After ◽

Thawing Process ◽

Short Time

Improved quality control and prolonged shelf life are important actions in preventing food waste. To get an overview of the bacterial diversity of fillets from live stored mature Atlantic cod, bacterial isolates were identified before and after storage (air and vacuum) and freezing/thawing. Based on the load of dominating bacteria, the effect of different packaging methods and a short freezing/thawing process on prolonged shelf-life was evaluated (total viable counts, bacteriota, sensory attributes, and volatile components). Hand filleted (strict hygiene) cod fillets had a low initial bacterial load dominated by the spoilage organism Photobacterium, whereas industrially produced fillets had higher bacterial loads and diversity (Pseudomonas, Arthrobacter, Psychrobacter, Shewanella). The identified bacteria after storage in vacuum or air were similar to the initially identified bacteria. Bacteriota analysis showed that a short time freezing/thawing process reduced Photobacterium while modified atmosphere packaging (MAP; 60%CO2/40%O2 or 60%CO2/40%N2) inhibited the growth of important spoilage bacteria (Photobacterium, Shewanella, Pseudomonas) and allowed the growth of Carnobacterium/Carnobacteriaceae and Acinetobacter. Despite being dominated by Photobacterium, fresh fillets stored in MAP 60%CO2/40%N2 demonstrated better sensory quality after 13 days of storage than fillets stored in MAP 60%CO2/40%O2 (dominated by Carnobacterium/Carnobacteriaceae). Carnobacterium spp. or other members of Carnobacteriaceae may therefore be potential spoilage organisms in cod when other spoilage bacteria are reduced or inhibited.

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Antimicrobial Edible Films and Coatings for Meat and Meat Products Preservation

The Scientific World JOURNAL ◽

10.1155/2014/248935 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-18 ◽

Cited By ~ 70

Author(s):

Irais Sánchez-Ortega ◽

Blanca E. García-Almendárez ◽

Eva María Santos-López ◽

Aldo Amaro-Reyes ◽

J. Eleazar Barboza-Corona ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Shelf Life ◽

Meat Products ◽

Barrier Properties ◽

Storage Conditions ◽

Edible Films ◽

Animal Origin ◽

Chemical Additives ◽

Processed Meats ◽

Physicochemical Changes ◽

Preservation Technology

Animal origin foods are widely distributed and consumed around the world due to their high nutrients availability but may also provide a suitable environment for growth of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms. Nowadays consumers demand high quality food with an extended shelf life without chemical additives. Edible films and coatings (EFC) added with natural antimicrobials are a promising preservation technology for raw and processed meats because they provide good barrier against spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms. This review gathers updated research reported over the last ten years related to antimicrobial EFC applied to meat and meat products. In addition, the films gas barrier properties contribute to extended shelf life because physicochemical changes, such as color, texture, and moisture, may be significantly minimized. The effectiveness showed by different types of antimicrobial EFC depends on meat source, polymer used, film barrier properties, target microorganism, antimicrobial substance properties, and storage conditions. The perspective of this technology includes tailoring of coating procedures to meet industry requirements and shelf life increase of meat and meat products to ensure quality and safety without changes in sensory characteristics.

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Influence of Two Innovative Packaging Materials on Quality Parameters and Aromatic Fingerprint of Extra-Virgin Olive Oils

Foods ◽

10.3390/foods10050929 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (5) ◽

pp. 929

Author(s):

Stefano Farris ◽

Susanna Buratti ◽

Simona Benedetti ◽

Cesare Rovera ◽

Ernestina Casiraghi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Shelf Life ◽

Storage Temperature ◽

Transmission Rate ◽

Virgin Olive Oil ◽

Quality Parameters ◽

Packaging Materials ◽

Transparent Plastic ◽

Virgin Olive Oils ◽

Oxygen Transmission Rate ◽

Olive Oils

The performance of two innovative packaging materials was investigated on two Sardinian extra-virgin olive oils (Nera di Gonnos and Bosana). In particular, a transparent plastic film loaded with a UV-blocker (packaging B) and a metallized material (packaging C) were compared each other and to brown-amber glass (packaging A). During accelerated shelf-life tests at 40 and 60 °C, the evolution of quality parameters (i.e., acidity, peroxide value, K270, and phenolic content) was monitored, together with the aromatic fingerprint evaluated by electronic nose. Packaging B resulted in the best-performing material in protecting oil from oxidation, due to its lower oxygen transmission rate (0.1 ± 0.02 cm3/m2 24 h) compared to packaging C (0.23 ± 0.04 cm3/m2 24 h). At the end of storage, phenolic reduction was on average 25% for packaging B and 58% for packaging C, and the aromatic fingerprint was better preserved in packaging B. In addition, other factors such as the sanitary status of the olives at harvesting and the storage temperature were demonstrated to have a significant role in the shelf life of packaged extra-virgin olive oil.

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