Ramón Catalá

Bio: Ramón Catalá is an academic researcher from Spanish National Research Council. The author has contributed to research in topics: Active packaging & Food packaging. The author has an hindex of 31, co-authored 64 publications receiving 3020 citations.

Advances in antioxidant active food packaging

Abstract: Lipid oxidation is, together with microbial growth, the main cause of spoilage of a great variety of foods, such as nuts, fish, meats, whole milk powders, sauces and oils. It causes a loss of both sensorial and nutritional quality of foods and may even lead to the formation of toxic aldehydes. Some strategies that are commonly used to limit the extent of lipid oxidation of packaged foods are direct addition of antioxidants or packaging under modified atmospheres in which oxygen presence is limited. A novel alternative to these methods is antioxidant active packaging, whose main advantage is that it can provide sustained release of antioxidants during storage. This article reviews the latest advances in antioxidant active food packaging, with special emphasis on antioxidant release systems. The various methods for incorporating antioxidant compounds in the package, the issues to be considered in packaging design, and the various methods employed to date to evaluate the antioxidant effectiveness of active antioxidant materials are reviewed.

Overview of active polymer-based packaging technologies for food applications

Abstract: There has been a growing interest and effort over the last few years in the development of novel food packaging concepts, which can play a proactive role regarding product preservation, shelf-life extension, and even improvement Several strategies have been devised to exert a positive action over the packaged foodstuff, including retention of desirable molecules (ie, aldehydes, oxygen) and release of substances (ie, carbon dioxide, aromas) These new developments have been generally termed active packaging technologies However, many of these emerging active packaging technologies are finding in the versatility and special properties of plastic materials an efficient vehicle to exploit and enhance their commercial interest This overview examines the most recent developments and technologies designed to include the active principle within the plastic packaging materials and generally termed active plastics technologies Due to the novelty of most of these active packaging developments, the s

Structural characteristics defining high barrier properties in polymeric materials

Abstract: The packaging industry has dramatically increased the number of packaging systems and designs made of plastics over recent decades. Plastics, in contrast with more traditional packaging materials such as glass and metals, are permeable systems that permit the exchange of low molecular weight compounds, e.g. gases and vapours, between the inner and the outer atmosphere. Despite this drawback, the availability of shapes and forms in which they can be manufactured, their ease of processing and handling, low price, excellent chemical resistance, etc., have made them very attractive in many packaging fields. Consequently, much industrial and academic research has been devoted to understanding the mechanisms of mass transport in polymers, to enable design of materials with improved barrier properties. The present paper reviews some of these developments, and highlights the structural factors that cause polymers to behave as high barrier materials, taking as benchmark the properties of one of the most wi...

Development of New Antioxidant Active Packaging Films Based on Ethylene Vinyl Alcohol Copolymer (EVOH) and Green Tea Extract

Abstract: Ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (EVOH) films containing green tea extract were successfully produced by extrusion. The films were brown and translucent, and the addition of the extract increased the water and oxygen barrier at low relative humidity but increased the water sensitivity, the glass transition temperature, and the crystallinity of the films and improved their thermal resistance. An analysis by HPLC revealed that the antioxidant components of the extract suffered partial degradation during extrusion, reducing the content of catechin gallates and increasing the concentration of free gallic acid. Exposure of the films to various food simulants showed that the liquid simulants increased their capacity to reduce DPPH(•) and ABTS(•+) radicals. The release of green tea extract components into the simulant monitored by HPLC showed that all compounds present in the green tea extract were partially released, although the extent and kinetics of release were dependent on the type of food. In aqueous food simulants, gallic acid was the main antioxidant component released with partition coefficient values ca. 200. In 95% ethanol (fatty food simulant) the K value for gallic acid decreased to 8 and there was a substantial contribution of catechins (K in the 1000 range) to a greatly increased antioxidant efficiency. Kinetically, gallic acid was released more quickly than catechins, owing to its faster diffusivity in the polymer matrix as a consequence of its smaller molecular size, although the most relevant effect is the plasticization of the matrix by alcohol, increasing the diffusion coefficient >10-fold. Therefore, the materials here developed with the combination of antioxidant substances that constitute the green tea extract could be used in the design of antioxidant active packaging for all type of foods, from aqueous to fatty products, the compounds responsible for the protection being those with the higher compatibility with the packaged product.

Food packaging--roles, materials, and environmental issues.

Abstract: The Institute of Food Technologists has issued this Scientific Status Summary to update readers on food packaging and its impact on the environment.

Poly-Lactic Acid: Production, Applications, Nanocomposites, and Release Studies.

Abstract: Environmental, economic, and safety challenges have provoked packaging scientists and producers to partially substitute petrochemical-based polymers with biodegradable ones. The general purpose of this review is to introduce poly-lactic acid (PLA), a compostable, biodegradable thermoplastic made from renewable sources. PLA properties and modifications via different methods, like using modifiers, blending, copolymerizing, and physical treatments, are mentioned; these are rarely discussed together in other reviews. Industrial processing methods for producing different PLA films, wrappings, laminates, containers (bottles and cups), are presented. The capabilities of PLA for being a strong active packaging material in different areas requiring antimicrobial and antioxidant characteristics are discussed. Consequently, applications of nanomaterials in combination with PLA structures for creating new PLA nanocomposites with greater abilities are also covered. These approaches may modify PLA weaknesses for some food packaging applications. Nanotechnology approaches are being broadened in food science, especially in packaging material science with high performances and low concentrations and prices, so this category of nano-research is estimated to be revolutionary in food packaging science in the near future. The linkage of a 100% bio-originated material and nanomaterials opens new windows for becoming independent, primarily, of petrochemical-based polymers and, secondarily, for answering environmental and health concerns will undoubtedly be growing with time.