Sustainable Development Goals

Bio-nanocomposites for food packaging applications

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is an inorganic compound widely used in everyday applications. ZnO is currently listed as a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) material by the Food and Drug Administration and is used as food additive. The advent of nanotechnology has led the development of materials with new properties for use as antimicrobial agents. Thus, ZnO in nanoscale has shown antimicrobial properties and potential applications in food preservation. ZnO nanoparticles have been incorporated in polymeric matrices in order to provide antimicrobial activity to the packaging material and improve packaging properties. This review presents the main synthesis methods of ZnO nanoparticles, principal characteristics and mechanisms of antimicrobial action as well as the effect of their incorporation in polymeric matrices. Safety issues such as exposure routes and migration studies are also discussed.

Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles: Synthesis, Antimicrobial Activity and Food Packaging Applications

Microbial cellulases have shown their potential application in various industries including pulp and paper, textile, laundry, biofuel production, food and feed industry, brewing, and agriculture. Due to the complexity of enzyme system and immense industrial potential, cellulases have been a potential candidate for research by both the academic and industrial research groups. Nowadays, significant attentions have been devoted to the current knowledge of cellulase production and the challenges in cellulase research especially in the direction of improving the process economics of various industries. Scientific and technological developments and the future prospects for application of cellulases in different industries are discussed in this paper.

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Microbial Cellulases and Their Industrial Applications

Edible films and coatings are thin layers of edible materials applied on food products that play an important role on their conservation, distribution and marketing. Some of their functions are to protect the product from mechanical damage, physical, chemical and microbiological activities. Their use in food applications and especially highly perishable products such as horticultural ones, is based on some particular properties such as cost, availability, functional attributes, mechanical properties (flexibility, tension), optical properties (brightness and opacity), the barrier effect against gases flow, structural resistance to water and microorganisms and sensory acceptability. In this piece of work, the lastest advances on their composition (polymers to be used in the structural matrix), including nanoparticles addition, and properties have been reviewed, as well as the trends in the research about their different applications, including oil consumption reduction in deep-fat fried products, their use in combination with bioactive compounds that bring foodstuff additional functions and shelf life extension of highly perishable products.

Edible films and coatings: Structures, active functions and trends in their use

New EU regulation aspects and global market of active and intelligent packaging for food industry applications

Biogenic amines: quality index of freshness in red and white meat

Ascorbic acid in exotic fruits : a liquid chromatographic investigation

Olive oil production in Italy boasts a thousand years old tradition and represents one of the most interesting field of Italian agriculture. Nowadays the olive oil extraction is carried out with technological industrial processes (continuous or discontinuous), even though the quality and the quantity of the obtained oil are still to be optimized, producing a significant economic loss for the oil sector. A possibility for trying to solve the problem could be the exploitation of biotechnology in olive oil industry, considering also eco-sustainability and lower environmental impact of the enzymes used. The aim of this work is to present the state-of-the-art about the application of natural enzymatic complexes in olive oil industry, referring also to the evaluation of analytical parameters related to extra virgin olive oil quality and authenticity.

Impact evaluation of innovative and sustainable extraction technologies on olive oil quality

Scientific research in the nanomaterials field is constantly evolving, making it possible to develop new materials and above all to find new applications. Therefore, nanoparticles (NPs) are suitable for different applications: nanomedicine, drug delivery, sensors, optoelectronics and food control. This review explores the recent trend in food control of using noble metallic nanoparticles as determination tools. Two major uses of NPs in food control have been found: the determination of contaminants and bioactive compounds. Applications were found for the determination of mycotoxins, pesticides, drug residues, allergens, probable carcinogenic compounds, bacteria, amino acids, gluten and antioxidants. The new developed methods are competitive for their use in food control, demonstrated by their validation and application to real samples.

https://www.mdpi.com/2306-5354/6/1/10/pdf

Giuliana Vinci

Papers

New EU regulation aspects and global market of active and intelligent packaging for food industry applications

Biogenic amines: quality index of freshness in red and white meat

Ascorbic acid in exotic fruits : a liquid chromatographic investigation

Impact evaluation of innovative and sustainable extraction technologies on olive oil quality

Noble Metal Nanoparticles Applications: Recent Trends in Food Control