Edible Food Packaging in Targeted Food Preservation
01 Jan 2021-pp 371-409
TL;DR: In this article, the application of edible films and coatings for targeted food products such as fruits and vegetables, fish and fish products, bakery products, and others in maintaining the food quality and further, improving the shelf life of food products.
Abstract: Edible films and coatings are considered as a biopreservative technique used for protecting food products in an eco-friendly manner and in recent years, it is extensively applied as a primary packaging system for various food products due to the existing unique traits. The easily deteriorating nature of highly perishable products such as fruits and vegetables, fish, meat and dairy products arises due to microbial attack and environment degrading factors. Further, the fruits and vegetables have high nutritional nature and are directed to store for future availability, with minimized postharvest loss and targeted to bring them safely with maintained quality to the end users. The other nutritional food products such as meat and meat products, fish and fish products are easily degraded due to microbial attack, which in turn alter the nutritional value, texture, and overall acceptability. In this regards, the edible films and coatings are required to protect food products from deterioration during handling, processing, and transportation. In this context, the naturally derived biopolymers from the renewable sources such as carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and their combination are used for fabrication of edible films and coatings. The edible films and coatings provide improved quality and shelf life of stored food products by creating a protective layer against physical and mechanical damage, providing suitable controlled atmosphere and further, act as a semi-permeable barrier for moisture, gasses, and vapor. Besides, these films deliver benefits to the consumer by incorporating various bioactive agents including antioxidant, nutraceuticals, antimicrobials, flavoring, and coloring agent. Further, the quality attributes of bakery and fried food products are also maintained using edible films and coatings such as crispiness and oil uptake ratio. Based on this discussion, the current chapter discusses the application of edible films and coatings for targeted food products such as fruits and vegetables, fish and fish products, bakery products, and others in maintaining the food quality and further, improve the shelf life of food products.
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TL;DR: In this paper, the use of chitosan as an edible film was evaluated for its antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes (LM) on the surface of ready-to-eat (RTE) roast beef.
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References
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TL;DR: The existing dietary guidance on intake of fruits and vegetables is described, and attempts to characterizeruits and vegetables into groups based on similar chemical structures and functions are reviewed.
1,513 citations
TL;DR: Although MPF fruits and vegetables may harbor psychrotrophic microorganisms such as fluorescent pseudomonads or Listeria monocytogenes, good control of refrigeration temperature limits growth of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms.
Abstract: Minimally processed fresh (MPF) fruits and vegetables are good media for growth of microorganisms. They have been involved in outbreaks because of the consumption of products contaminated by pathogens. They are also sensitive to various spoilage microorganisms such as pectinolytic bacteria, saprophytic Gram-negative bacteria, lactic acid bacteria, and yeasts. Contamination of MPF fruits and vegetables occurs at every stage of the food chain, from cultivation to processing. Polluted environments during cultivation or poor hygienic conditions in processing increase the risk of contamination with foodborne pathogens. Although MPF fruits and vegetables may harbor psychrotrophic microorganisms such as fluorescent pseudomonads or Listeria monocytogenes, good control of refrigeration temperature limits growth of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms. Modified atmospheres are often efficient to maintain or improve visual organoleptic quality of MPF fruits and vegetables, but their effects on microorganisms are inconsistent. Chemical disinfection can partially reduce the initial bacterial contamination; irradiation seems to be more efficient. The applications of legislations and quality assurance systems to control contamination, survival, and growth of foodborne pathogens in MPF fruits and vegetables are discussed.
897 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a review of the last years concerning the main hydrocolloids and antimicrobials used for developing edible films and coatings, the methods used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity, the applications and the legislation concerning the development of these materials, and different strategies related to the modification of structural characteristics and the future trends in the development are discussed.
Abstract: Over the last years, considerable research has been conducted to develop and apply edible films and coatings made from a variety of agricultural commodities and/or wastes of food product industrialization. Such biopolymers include polysaccharides, proteins, and their blends. These materials present the possibility of being carriers of different additives, such as antimicrobial, antioxidant, nutraceuticals, and flavorings agents. In particular, the use of edibles films and coatings containing antimicrobials has demonstrated to be a useful tool as a stress factor to protect foodstuff against spoilage flora and to decrease the risk of pathogen growth. The more commonly antimicrobials used are organic acids, chitosan, nisin, the lactoperoxidase system, and some plant extracts and their essential oils. For the selection of an antimicrobial, it must be considered the effectiveness against the target microorganism and also the possible interactions among the antimicrobial, the film-forming biopolymer, and other food components present. These interactions can modify the antimicrobial activity and the characteristics of the film being these key factors for the development of antimicrobial films and coatings. The main objective of this article is to review the bibliography of the last years concerning the main hydrocolloids and antimicrobials used for developing edible films and coatings, the methods used to evaluate the antimicrobial activity, the applications and the legislation concerning edible films and coatings. Also, the different strategies related to the modification of structural characteristics and the future trends in the development are discussed. The information update will help to improve the design, development, and application of edible films and coatings tending to increase the safety and quality of food products and to prepare for food legislation changes that might be necessary while identifying future trends concerning a better functionality of edible films thought as a stress factor for lengthening shelf life of food products.
564 citations
TL;DR: The present review attempts to sum up meats role and importance in human nutrition as well as examine some pejorative beliefs about meat consumption.
547 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the rationale of using edible coatings on fresh and minimally processed produce, the challenges in developing effective coatings that meet the specific criteria of fruits and vegetables, the recent advances in the development of coating technology, the analytical techniques for measuring some important coating functionalities, and future research needs for supporting a broad range of commercial applications.
Abstract: One of the major growth segments in the food retail industry is fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables. This new market trend has thus increased the demands to the food industry for seeking new strategies to increase storability and shelf life and to enhance microbial safety of fresh produce. The technology of edible coatings has been considered as one of the potential approaches for meeting this demand. Edible coatings from renewable sources, including lipids, polysaccharides, and proteins, can function as barriers to water vapor, gases, and other solutes and also as carriers of many functional ingredients, such as antimicrobial and antioxidant agents, thus enhancing quality and extending shelf life of fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables. This review discusses the rationale of using edible coatings on fresh and minimally processed produce, the challenges in developing effective coatings that meet the specific criteria of fruits and vegetables, the recent advances in the development of coating technology, the analytical techniques for measuring some important coating functionalities, and future research needs for supporting a broad range of commercial applications.
522 citations