Characterization and preservation performance of active polyethylene films containing rosemary and cinnamon essential oils for Pacific white shrimp packaging

Total volatile basic nitrogen and trimethylamine in muscle foods: Potential formation pathways and effects on human health

The use of total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) as a quality parameter for fish is rapidly growing to include other types of meat. Investigations of meat quality have recently focused on TVB-N as an index of freshness, but little is known on the biochemical pathways involved in its generation. Furthermore, TVB-N and methylated amines have been reported to exert deterimental health effects, but the relationship between these compounds and human health has not been critically reviewed. Here, literature on the formative pathways of TVB-N has been reviewed in depth. The association of methylated amines and human health has been critically evaluated. Interventions to mitigate the effects of TVB-N on human health are discussed. TVB-N levels in meat can be influenced by the diet of an animal, which calls for careful consideration when using TVB-N thresholds for regulatory purposes. Bacterial contamination and temperature abuse contribute to significant levels of post-mortem TVB-N increases. Therefore, controlling spoilage factors through a good level of hygiene during processing and preservation techniques may contribute to a substantial reduction of TVB-N. Trimethylamine (TMA) constitutes a significant part of TVB-N. TMA and trimethylamine oxide (TMA-N-O) have been related to the pathogenesis of noncommunicable diseases, including atherosclerosis, cancers, and diabetes. Proposed methods for mitigation of TMA and TMA-N-O accumulation are discussed, which include a reduction in their daily dietary intake, control of internal production pathways by targeting gut microbiota, and inhibition of flavin monooxygenase 3 enzymes. The levels of TMA and TMA-N-O have significant health effects, and this should, therefore, be considered when evaluating meat quality and acceptability. Agreed international values for TVB-N and TMA in meat products are required. The role of feed, gut microbiota, and translocation of methylated amines to muscles in farmed animals requires further investigation.

Plant-derived antioxidants incorporated into active packaging intended for vegetables and fatty animal products: a review

Nowadays, the food industry is focused on improving the shelf life of products by controlling lipid oxidation using natural antioxidants. The study of natural antioxidants is a field that attracts great interest because of their greater safety compared to synthetic ones. Plant-derived antioxidants being eco-friendly and effective are increasingly playing an important role in food preservation. When incorporated into active packaging, plant-derived antioxidants have no direct contact with foods, and will not change the colour or taste of the foods. They will, however, inhibit the development of rancidity, retard formation of toxic oxidation products, maintain nutritional quality, and prolong the shelf life of products. This review summarises research on the development of plant-derived antioxidants in food packaging. Antioxidants are found in plants such as green tea, olive leaves, ginkgo leaves, rosemary, Indian gooseberry, cinnamon, savoury, bay leaves, mango leaves, sage and clove etc. Antioxidants can scavenge free radicals and inhibit the activity of polyphenol oxidase. Therefore, they can inhibit lipid oxidation and browning of fruit and vegetables. These active substances can be obtained through extracting the plants using solvents with different polarities. The oxidation resistance of active substances can be determined by DPPH radical scavenging capacity, oxygen radical absorbance capacity, PPO enzyme inhibition capacity and other methods. In recent years, research on the preparation of food packaging with plant-derived antioxidants has also made significant progress. One development is to encapsulate plant-derived antioxidants such as tea polyphenols with capsules containing inorganic components. Thus, they can be blended with polyethylene granules and processed into active packaging film by industrial production methods such as melting, extrusion and blowing film. This research promotes the commercial application of active packaging incorporated with plant-derived antioxidants.

Sustainable sources for antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds used in meat and seafood products

The contribution of food in promotion of health has become of most importance. The challenges that lie before the global food supply chain, such as climate changes, food contamination, and antimicrobial resistance may compromise food safety at international scale. Compounds with strong antimicrobial and antioxidant activity can be extracted from different natural and sustainable sources and may contribute to extend the shelf life of meat and seafood products, enhance food safety and enrich foods with additional biologically active and functional ingredients. This chapter describes the use of bioprotective cultures, essential oils, plant extracts, seaweed extracts and grape pomace compounds in production of value-added meat and seafood products with improved shelf life and safety, following the requests from the market and consumers.

Essential Oils in Livestock: From Health to Food Quality

Using plant essential oils (EOs) contributes to the growing number of natural plants' applications in livestock. Scientific data supporting the efficacy of EOs as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antioxidant molecules accumulates over time; however, the cumulative evidence is not always sufficient. EOs antioxidant properties have been investigated mainly from human perspectives. Still, so far, our review is the first to combine the beneficial supporting properties of EOs in a One Health approach and as an animal product quality enhancer, opening new possibilities for their utilization in the livestock and nutrition sectors. We aim to compile the currently available data on the main anti-inflammatory effects of EOs, whether encapsulated or not, with a focus on mammary gland inflammation. We will also review the EOs' antioxidant activities when given in the diet or as a food preservative to counteract oxidative stress. We emphasize EOs' in vitro and in vivo ruminal microbiota and mechanisms of action to promote animal health and performance. Given the concept of DOHaD (Developmental Origin of Health and Diseases), supplementing animals with EOs in early life opens new perspectives in the nutrition sector. However, effective evaluation of the significant safety components is required before extending their use to livestock and veterinary medicine.

Biodegradable Antimicrobial Food Packaging: Trends and Perspectives

This review presents a perspective on the research trends and solutions from recent years in the domain of antimicrobial packaging materials. The antibacterial, antifungal, and antioxidant activities can be induced by the main polymer used for packaging or by addition of various components from natural agents (bacteriocins, essential oils, natural extracts, etc.) to synthetic agents, both organic and inorganic (Ag, ZnO, TiO2 nanoparticles, synthetic antibiotics etc.). The general trend for the packaging evolution is from the inert and polluting plastic waste to the antimicrobial active, biodegradable or edible, biopolymer film packaging. Like in many domains this transition is an evolution rather than a revolution, and changes are coming in small steps. Changing the public perception and industry focus on the antimicrobial packaging solutions will enhance the shelf life and provide healthier food, thus diminishing the waste of agricultural resources, but will also reduce the plastic pollution generated by humankind as most new polymers used for packaging are from renewable sources and are biodegradable. Polysaccharides (like chitosan, cellulose and derivatives, starch etc.), lipids and proteins (from vegetal or animal origin), and some other specific biopolymers (like polylactic acid or polyvinyl alcohol) have been used as single component or in blends to obtain antimicrobial packaging materials. Where the package's antimicrobial and antioxidant activities need a larger spectrum or a boost, certain active substances are embedded, encapsulated, coated, grafted into or onto the polymeric film. This review tries to cover the latest updates on the antimicrobial packaging, edible or not, using as support traditional and new polymers, with emphasis on natural compounds.

Corn-Starch-Based Materials Incorporated with Cinnamon Oil Emulsion: Physico-Chemical Characterization and Biological Activity

Active packaging represents a large and diverse group of materials, with its main role being to prolong the shelf-life of food products. In this work, active biomaterials based on thermoplastic starch-containing cinnamon oil emulsions were prepared by the compression molding technique. The thermal, mechanical, and antifungal properties of obtained materials were evaluated. The results showed that the encapsulation of cinnamon oil emulsions did not influence the thermal stability of materials. Mechanical resistance to break was reduced by 27.4%, while elongation at break was increased by 44.0% by the addition of cinnamon oil emulsion. Moreover, the novel material provided a decrease in the growth rate of Botrytis cinerea by 66%, suggesting potential application in food packaging as an active biomaterial layer to hinder further contamination of fruits during the storage and transport period.

Eco-friendly active packaging consisting of nanostructured biopolymer matrix reinforced with TiO2 and essential oil: Application for preservation of refrigerated meat

Biodegradable active packaging is required to replace petroleum-based plastics. In this study, a biopolymer-based packaging material was prepared using a casting method, which consisted of a cellulose nanofiber/whey protein matrix containing titanium dioxide particles (1% TiO₂) and essential oil droplets (2% rosemary oil) as functional components. The ability of this packaging to protect lamb meat from chemical and microbial spoilage during 15 days of refrigerated storage (4 °C) was analysed. The meat samples were periodically analysed for microbial count, chemical stability (pH, lipid oxidation, lipolysis), and optical properties. The active packaging significantly reduced microbial growth, lipid oxidation, and lipolysis of the lamb meat during storage, which led to an increase in shelf life from around 6 to 15 days. These biopolymer-based active packaging materials may therefore be suitable for application in meat products.

Effects of cinnamaldehyde combined with ultrahigh pressure treatment on the flavor of refrigerated Paralichthys olivaceus fillets

The combined effects of cinnamaldehyde (CA) and ultrahigh pressure (UP) treatment on the flavor of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) fillets during storage at 4 °C for 20 days were investigated. Changes in total viable count, trimethylamine, ATP-related compounds, free amino acids, TCA-soluble peptides, electronic nose (E-nose) analysis and sensory quality were measured. The results indicated that CA and UP treatment, especially CA combined with UP, significantly reduced undesirable flavor compounds including inosine, hypoxanthine, TMA, and bitter amino acids, and accumulated pleasant flavor compounds such as inosine monophosphate and umami-related amino acids. In addition, the combination of CA and UP was shown to be more effective for retarding protein degradation and microbial growth than CA or UP treatment alone. In accordance with the results of E-nose analysis and sensory evaluation, CA combined with UP treatment had great potential for improving the flavor quality of refrigerated flounder fillets and extending their storage life.

The combined effects of cinnamaldehyde (CA) and ultrahigh pressure (UP) treatment on the flavor of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) fillets during storage at 4 °C for 20 days were investigated.

Effects of lysozyme combined with cinnamaldehyde on storage quality of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) fillets

Effects of lysozyme (LYS) combined with cinnamaldehyde (CA) on quality enhancement of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) fillets during refrigerated storage at 4 °C for 20 days were assessed. Changes of total viable count (TVC), K-value, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), thiobarbituric acid (TBA), texture profile analysis (TPA), and trichloroacetic acid-soluble peptide (TCA-soluble peptide) in samples were determined periodically. Results demonstrated that the combination of LYS and CA treatment enhanced the antibacterial activity against S. putrefaciens and P. fluorescens, and lowered TVC values. Meanwhile, LYS combined with CA significantly retarded the increases of TBA value, TVB-N, K-value, and TCA-soluble peptide content compared to the control. Furthermore, the combined treatment also effectively maintained the texture properties of flounder fillets during the storage period. The efficiency was better than that of LYS or CA treatment alone. Thus, LYS combined with CA is promising in olive flounder shelf life extension.

New Tricks for Old Guys: Recent Developments in the Chemistry, Biochemistry, Applications and Exploitation of Selected Species from the Lamiaceae Family

Lamiaceae is one of the largest families of flowering plants comprising about 250 genera and over 7,000 species. Most of the plants of this family are aromatic and therefore important source of essential oils. Lamiaceae are widely used as culinary herbs and reported as medicinal plants in several folk traditions. In the Mediterranean area oregano, sage, rosemary, thyme and lavender stand out for geographical diffusion and variety of uses. The aim of this review is to provide recent data dealing with the phytochemical and pharmacological studies, and the more recent applications of the essential oils and the non-volatile phytocomplexes. This literature survey suggests how the deeper understanding of biomolecular processes in the health and food sectors as per as pest control bioremediation of cultural heritage, or interaction with human microbiome, fields, leads to the rediscovery and new potential applications of well-known plants.

Antimicrobial Activity of Polylactic Acid Film Incorporated With Marjoram and Clove Essential Oils on Microbial and Chemical Properties of Minced Beef During Refrigerated Storage

Background: Active packaging is one of the new packaging technologies which causes interaction between packaging material and food with the aim of food shelf life extension while maintaining food safety and quality. Biodegradable films like polylactic acid (PLA) can be good alternatives to non-biodegradable plastics because of environmental pollution and concerns about the limitations of petroleum resources. Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of PLA film incorporated with marjoram and clove essential oils (EOs) (0.5 and 1% v/v) in maintaining the microbial and chemical quality of minced beef during refrigerated storage. Materials and Methods: Minced beef was packaged with PLA film incorporated with marjoram and clove EOs (0.5 and 1% v/v) alone and in combination and stored at refrigerator temperature for 10 days. Then, microbiological and chemical analyses were done at 0, 2, 4, 7 and 10 days of examination. Results: A reduction of 1 log CFU/g in total count was observed between groups with simultaneous use of EOs and control group (P<0.05) at day 7; however, there was not any significant difference between the mentioned groups at day 10. Active packaging with marjoram and clove EOs decreased the number of psychrotrophs in comparison to the control group and it was more evident at days 7 and 10. The number of Enterobacteriaceae in control and 1% clove EO/1% marjoram EO groups showed a difference of 3 log units at day 10. TVB-N of 1% clove EO/1% marjoram EO and 0.5% clove EO/1% marjoram EO showed significant differences from control at day 10 (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results of the current study have shown that the active PLA films can be a promising approach in order to maintain microbial and chemical quality of minced beef at refrigerator temperature for 10 days.

Rosmarinus plants: Key farm concepts towards food applications

Rosmarinus species are aromatic plants that mainly grow in the Mediterranean region. They are widely used in folk medicine, food, and flavor industries and represent a valuable source of biologically active compounds (e.g., terpenoids, flavonoids, and phenolic acids). The extraction of rosemary essential oil is being done using three main methods: carbon dioxide supercritical extraction, steam distillation, and hydrodistillation. Furthermore, interesting antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, antileishmanial, anthelmintic, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, and antiamnesic effects have also been broadly recognized for rosemary plant extracts. Thus the present review summarized data on economically important Rosmarinus officinalis species, including isolation, extraction techniques, chemical composition, pharmaceutical, and food applications.

Fungicides Films of Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE)/Inclusion Complexes (Carvacrol and Cinnamaldehyde) Against Botrytis Cinerea

Low density polyethylene (LDPE) films were prepared with the incorporation of natural agents (carvacrol and trans-cinnamaldehyde) by the melting process. The co-precipitation method was used successfully to complex the carvacrol or trans-cinnamaldehyde with β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). The active compounds encapsulated in β-CD achieved ca. 90% encapsulation efficiency (E.E.). The inclusion complex studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) found particles of different sizes, ca. 4 μm. The active compounds were added directly (1 and 5 wt %) into the polymer matrix, yielding LDPE + carvacrol and LDPE + cinnamaldehyde films. The active compounds encapsulated in β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) were added to LDPE, yielding LDPE + β-CD-carvacrol and LDPE + β-CD-cinnamaldehyde films. The incorporation of carvacrol and trans-cinnamaldehyde, and their corresponding inclusion complexes with β-cyclodextrin, did not affect the thermal properties of LDPE. The microcapsules distributed in all polymer matrices had sizes of 5–20 μm as shown by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In terms of mechanical properties, the polymers showed a slight decrease of Young’s modulus (12%) and yield stress compared (14%) to neat LDPE. This could be due to the essential oil acting as a plasticizer in the polymer matrix. The LDPE + carvacrol and LDPE + cinnamaldehyde films had the capacity to inhibit fungi by 99% compared to neat LDPE. The effectiveness against fungi of LDPE+β-CD + active agent was slower than by the direct incorporation of the essential oil in the LDPE in the same amount of active agent. The biocidal properties were related to the gradual release of active compound from the polymer. The results confirm the applicability of carvacrol, trans-cinnamaldehyde, and their corresponding inclusion complexes in active packaging, as well as their use in the food delivery industry.

The Contribution of a Whey Protein Film Incorporated with Green Tea Extract to Minimize the Lipid Oxidation of Salmon (Salmo salar L.)

Active packaging is becoming progressively more significant as a response to the dynamic changes in current consumer demand and market tendencies. Active packaging is projected to interact directly with the packaged food or with the headspace within the package with the aim of maintaining or extending product quality and shelf-life. Aiming for sustainability, the potential application as biodegradable films of whey protein concentrate (WPC) was evaluated. Aromatic plant's extracts present high antioxidant properties, representing an alternative for synthetic food additives. The main objective of this study was to verify the effectiveness of an edible WPC film incorporated with a plant-based extract on retarding the lipid oxidation of fresh salmon. Green tea extract (GTE) was chosen to be incorporated into the active film. Fresh salmon was packaged with the control film (WPC) and with active film (WPC-GTE). The oxidation level of non-packaged samples and packaged samples were tested for different storage times. Four methods were applied to evaluate lipid oxidation state of fresh salmon: peroxide value, p-anisidine value, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) assay, and monitoring of hexanal. The results obtained in this study indicate that the whey protein active film was successfully produced, and it was effective in delaying lipid oxidation of fresh salmon samples until the 14th day of storage.