Quality and Shelf-Life Evaluation of Fresh Beef Stored in Smart Packaging

Effect of bovine bone gelatin/sodium carboxymethyl-cellulose nanoemulsion loaded with thymol on chilled beef preservation

In this study, an O/W type edible nanoemulsion coating was prepared by using different ratios of bovine bone gelatin (BBG) and sodium carboxymethylcellulose (SCMC) with the addition of a certain amount of thymol (THY). The bacteriostatic properties of nanoemulsion and storage stability at different temperatures were first investigated. The results showed that the B/S-NE prepared in this study had a good inhibitory effect on P. aeruginosa and B. thermosphacta. And B/S-NE has good storage stability (particle size <165 nm, zeta potential > -20 mV, release rate < 30 %) at 4 °C compared to 25 °C. When applied to beef preservation, it was found that beef treated with the B/S-NE coating maintained good color, pH, and texture, and significantly inhibited lipid and protein oxidation as well as microbial growth compared to the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, high-throughput sequencing analysis showed that Pseudomonas was apparently the main spoilage bacteria during beef storage. While B/S-NE significantly inhibited the growth of spoilage bacteria and reduced microbial diversity during storage. These results suggest that the B/S-NE coating can be used as an antioxidant and preservative, and has good application potential in the preservation and anticorrosion of chilled beef.

Dynamic Changes in Meat Quality, Volatile Organic Compounds, and Microbial Community of Xiangxi Yellow Cattle Beef During Chilled Storage

Xiangxi Yellow Cattle, an indigenous Chinese livestock breed recognized for its exceptional nutrient composition and superior meat characteristics, has gained significant market preference among consumers. This investigation focused on evaluating physicochemical attributes, flavor development patterns, and bacterial population dynamics in chilled beef samples stored at 4 °C over an 8-day period. The research further examined interrelationships between meat parameters, predominant microbial species, and crucial aroma-active substances. Findings revealed a progressive elevation in lipid/protein oxidation levels, biogenic amine accumulation, and TVB-N values as microbial proliferation intensified toward the late storage phase. Microbial analysis demonstrated a final total viable count of 7.17 log10 (CFU/g), with bacterial community dominance distributed among Firmicutes (58.15%), Proteobacteria (29.56%), and Bacteroidota (12.05%). Notably, Brochothrix thermosphacta emerged as the primary spoilage organism in terminal storage phases. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the beef during storage were analyzed, with a total of 66 compounds identified. The critical analysis identified 2,3-butanedione and 2-butanone as microbial metabolism-dependent substances showing strong correlations with meat quality parameters, emerging as freshness markers for beef evaluation. Importantly, the study highlighted the necessity for deeper investigation into microbial-VOC interactions, particularly considering the intricate bacterial ecosystems in aquatic environments. These outcomes enhance our understanding of spoilage mechanisms in Xiangxi Yellow Cattle beef while proposing practical approaches for microbial control in meat preservation systems.

The synergistic effect of polyphenols and polypeptides for plant-based bioplastic film - Enhanced UV resistance, antioxidant and antibacterial performance

The exceptional biodegradability and active biological functions of bio-based packaging materials have attracted increasing interest. In this study, a bioplastic film was developed by introducing simultaneously polyphenols (tea polyphenols, TPs) and peptides (nisin) into a soy protein isolate/sodium alginate (SPI/SA) based film-forming matrix. The research results revealed that the dynamic coordinated interaction between TPs and nisin enhanced mechanical properties, UV-resistance, and thermal stability of bioplastic films. Furthermore, the bioplastic film exhibited antibacterial activity and antioxidant properties. Significantly, biofilm growth of Staphylococcus aureus treated with TPs-5/Nisin-5 bioplastic film was inhibited by 91.12% compared to the blank group. The shelf life of beef with TPs-5/Nisin-5 bioplastic film was prolonged by 2 days because of the synergistic effect of TPs and nisin. Additionally, the bioplastic film biodegraded in the natural environment about 21 days. This environmentally friendly regeneration strategy and the integration of advantageous functions provided ideas for the development of active food packaging.

Fortification of pullulan/cassava starch-based edible films incorporated with LC-EO nanoparticles and the application for beef meat preservation

A multipurpose food packaging film was created using pullulan and cassava starch as bases and sodium caseinate/zein-loaded Litsea cubeba essential oil nanoparticles as fillers. The study showed that the PS, PDI, Zeta potential and encapsulation efficiency of LC-EO in SC/ZNPs1% were 206.34 nm, 0.28 %, -25.73 mV, and 89.69 %, respectively, indicating even distribution and good stability. FTIR and XRD analysis confirmed hydrogen bond formation and structural changes between nanoparticle-forming materials, while SEM analysis revealed uniform distribution and spherical morphology of SC/ZNPs1%.The study found that the psc4% film showed improved mechanical properties, including an increase in elongation at break from 14.76 % to 19.30 %, and enhanced barrier characteristics, despite a slight decrease in tensile strength from 28.53 MPa to 7.77 MPa. The pcs4% film enhanced hydrophobic characteristics from 39.06 % to 20.91 % and showed inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli O157:H7 at 28 mm and 23 mm inhibition zones, respectively, with improved antioxidant properties (76.16 %), effectively reducing bacterial populations, color, texture, and pH change and lipid oxidation in fresh beef for up to seven days. The psc4% film is a promising new active antibacterial and antioxidant food-packaging material.

Tracking perishable foods in the supply chain using chain of things technology

Modern food supply chains are intrinsically sophisticated due to their multi-participant and multi-echelon structure, which are challenging to handle high turbulent business environment. The development of Perishable Food Supply Chains (PFSC) has to be strong enough to manage any type of disruptions in the food industry. At the same time, the food processing industry must also take responsibility for the social and environmental consequences of their deeds. This has further led to performance deterioration and intensified design complexity. Recently, digitalization and Blockchain technology (BCT) have brought unfathomed rebellions in PFSC. Despite the potential and market hype, the application of BCT to track the perishable products and status of in-transit shipments is still a challengingtask for the food industry due to privacy and security issues, restricted transactional and scalability performance, deficiency of industry standards and managerial abilities, etc. However, integrating the BCT with the eventual benefits of the Internet of Things (IoT) (i.e., Chain of Things (CoT)) increases the performance of good traceability in any supply chain. The proposed CoT-based Track and Trace system (CoT-TTS) employs a set of IoT devices, BCT, and Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS). The performance of CoT-TTS is evaluated through a case study using an EOSIO platform. The effectiveness of the proposed system is evaluated in terms of depth, breadth, access, and precision of the transactions.

System Design Based on Biological Olfaction for Meat Analysis Using E-Nose Sensors

The deterioration of food, especially in meat products, can lead to serious health problems. Even with modern preservation technologies, a significant amount of food is lost due to microbial deterioration. As the very first step of the preservation process, the microflora that grows during the storage time and in spoiling foods should be well-known to identify critical levels. Electronic nose and gas chromatography analysis systems can provide sensitive and promising results. Similarly, bacterial analysis is an important process for determining bacterial groups that result in the emergence of such gases in gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis during the degradation time. This study aims to determine the degradation levels for some meat types under different environmental conditions, such as temperature and duration, to compare with other measurement techniques for evaluating the verification of data. E-nose device, developed in this study, can detect carbon monoxide (CO), methane (CH4), ethanol (C2H5OH), and ammonia (NH3) using metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) sensors. In order to test sensory measurements during this period, GC-MS and microbial measurements were used. E-nose measurements show that the results are in accord with each other. This system can easily be made portable, occupying very little space.

Fabrication of freshness indicators based on methylcellulose-containing color indicator solutions for monitoring the quality of coconut water

This is the first study to apply intelligent packaging to coconut water. The purpose of this study was to determine the best color indicator solution for making freshness indicator labels based on methylcellulose along with the color change profile of coconut water during storage at room temperature. Three color indicator solutions were used, namely phenol red, bromothymol blue, and methyl red, which were then continued with the fabrication of freshness indicator labels based on methylcellulose from each of these color indicator solutions and applied to coconut water at 25 °C room temperature storage for 24 h with observations every 4 h in the form of pH, total dissolved solids, total acid, turbidity, total microbes, CO2 gas, O2 gas, and freshness indicator label color changes. The values of pH, total soluble solids, and O2 gas decreased with storage time, whereas the values of total acid, turbidity, total microbes, and CO2 gas continued to increase. The methylcellulose-based phenol red freshness indicator label provides the best color change profile that matches the freshness condition of coconut water, namely purplish red (fresh), orange (immediately consumed), and yellow (damaged) so that it can be used as intelligent packaging to monitor the quality of coconut water.