Food By-Products to Extend Shelf Life: The Case of Cod Sticks Breaded with Dried Olive Paste

Comparison Among Food By-Products to Improve the Shelf Life of a Fresh Burger Based on Shelled Shrimps

Pomegranate peels, fig peels, and by-products from turnip greens were used as novel ingredients in burgers based on shelled shrimps. With the aim, a control without any by-products and three fortified samples with 7.5% (w/w) by-product were realized. To verify the benefic effects of by-product addition on the chemical quality of burgers, total phenols, total flavonoids, and antioxidant activity were measured in both the control and fortified samples. In addition, during storage under refrigerated conditions, the microbiological proliferation of the main spoilage bacteria, the pH, and the sensory acceptability were properly monitored in all the samples. Results from chemical analyses confirmed that the nutritional level of shrimp-based burgers enriched with by-products was better than that of the control. Burgers with peels from pomegranate recorded the best results (2.67 ± 0.24 mg GAE/g dw, 1.62 ± 0.21 mg QE/g dw, and 12.63 ± 0.41 mg Trolox/g dw for total phenols, flavonoids, and antioxidant activity, respectively). From the microbiological point of view, the bacterial proliferation was always more rapid in the control than in the other samples. Among the by-products, the pomegranate peels better delayed the spoiling phenomena, even though mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria grew abundantly and rapidly in all the products, thus reducing the differences among samples. All the burgers maintained sensory acceptability for more than two weeks, regardless of the by-product addition. Considering both microbiological stability and sensory properties, the shelf life of this product was calculated to be around 1 week for the control burger, 8.5 days for both burgers with fig peels and by-products from turnip greens, and 9 days for the shrimp-based burger fortified with pomegranate peels.

Pasta Incorporating Olive Pomace: Impact on Nutritional Composition and Consumer Acceptance of a Prototype

The food industry is encouraged to develop new sustainable foodstuffs, and agri-food by-products can serve as valuable ingredients in these formulations. In this work, olive pomace (OP), a by-product of olive oil production, was incorporated as an ingredient in pasta. The changes in the nutritional composition and consumer acceptance were assessed, aiming to scale up the production. OP contains dietary fibre (55%), fat (9%), α-tocopherol (43 mg/kg), and oleic acid (76%) after moisture elimination. For that, the following two drying procedures were tested: 40 °C for 48 h (OP40) and 70 °C for 24 h (OP70). Both samples were sieved to remove the stone pieces. Drying at 70 °C (OP70) was the fastest method, revealed a better nutritional profile than OP40, and was the product selected for the incorporation into the pasta. The enriched pasta, containing 7.5% of OP70, was compared to a control. It showed an improved nutritional value with higher contents of fat, ash, fibre, vitamin E, oleic acid, phenolics, and flavonoids, a composition related to potential health benefits. Consumers appreciated the appearance, colour, shine, and aroma of the obtained pasta, making it a prototype with commercial viability. However, several improvements need to be implemented, namely, at the textural levels. Corrective actions, such as the optimisation of the amount of incorporated OP, the use of other ingredients for flavour masking, and textural adjustments, are advisable, thereby making this product more appealing and accepted by a larger number of consumers. This prototype can be a good approach for the circular economy, environmental sustainability, and food security.

Engineered Nanomaterial Coatings for Food Packaging: Design, Manufacturing, Regulatory, and Sustainability Implications

The food industry is one of the most regulated businesses in the world and follows strict internal and regulated requirements to ensure product reliability and safety. In particular, the industry must ensure that biological, chemical, and physical hazards are controlled from the production and distribution of raw materials to the consumption of the finished product. In the United States, the FDA regulates the efficacy and safety of food ingredients and packaging. Traditional packaging materials such as paper, aluminum, plastic, and biodegradable compostable materials have gradually evolved. Coatings made with nanotechnology promise to radically improve the performance of food packaging materials, as their excellent properties improve the appearance, taste, texture, and shelf life of food. This review article highlights the role of nanomaterials in designing and manufacturing anti-fouling and antimicrobial coatings for the food packaging industry. The use of nanotechnology coatings as protective films and sensors to indicate food quality levels is discussed. In addition, their assessment of regulatory and environmental sustainability is developed. This review provides a comprehensive perspective on nanotechnology coatings that can ensure high-quality nutrition at all stages of the food chain, including food packaging systems for humanitarian purposes.

Technological strategies for the use of plant-derived compounds in the preservation of fish products

New approaches to reducing synthetic preservatives in the preservation of foods draw the attention of plant-derived bioactive compounds, especially for application in foods highly susceptible to spoilage, such as fish products. The review presents relevant data from procurement, application, and methodological research trends to investigate the potential effects of plant-derived bioactive compounds on shelf life extension in fish products. The systematization of data allowed observation that the different methods of extraction and application of bioactive plant compounds result in different effects, such as the reduction of lipid oxidation, antimicrobial effects, and maintenance of sensory characteristics, benefiting the extension of shelf life. In general, plant-derived bioactive compounds are an alternative for the preservation of fish products; however, approaches to the composition of the compounds can contribute to the optimization and efficiency of the process from a technical point of view and industrial viability.

Effect of novel active packaging containing antimicrobial peptide on the shelf-life of fish burgers (<em>Coryphaena hippurus</em>) during refrigerated storage

Fresh fishery products are highly perishable foods mainly due to their high-water content and high level of pH which act as promoters of spoilage processes. In these matrices, the deterioration phenomena are the result of the action of oxidative, and enzymatic processes due in part to the presence of specific microorganisms. Indeed, the microbial communities responsible for spoilage are a small fraction of the flora detectable in the fish and are known as specific spoilage organisms (SSOs). In the last decades, the scientific community has worked to achieve the ambitious goal of reducing the impact of microbial deterioration on food losses through innovative solutions, including antimicrobial packaging. The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an active polypropylene (PP)- based packaging functionalized with the antimicrobial peptide 1018K6 to extend the shelf life of dolphinfish burgers (Coryphaena hippurus) by evaluating its effect on sensorial and microbiological profile. The microbiological results showed an evident antimicrobial activity of the active packaging against hygiene indicator microorganisms and SSOs, recording a reduction of about 1 Log (CFU/g) of their concentrations compared to those of the control groups. Furthermore, a significant influence of functionalized packaging on the organoleptic characteristics was noted, accentuating the differences in freshness between the two experimental groups. This work confirmed the hypothesis of considering antimicrobial packaging as a potential tool capable of slowing down surface microbial replication and, therefore, extending the shelf-life and improving the health and hygiene aspect of fresh fish products.

Introduction to the Special Issue: Advanced Strategies to Preserve Quality and Extend Shelf Life of Foods

We are pleased to present this Special Issue, which includes 13 papers that highlight the most important research activities in the field of food quality assurance and shelf-life extension [...]

State-of-Art on the Recycling of By-Products from Fruits and Vegetables of Mediterranean Countries to Prolong Food Shelf Life

Annually, 1.3 billion tons of food are wasted and this plays a major role in increasing pollution. Food waste increases domestic greenhouse gas emissions mainly due to the gas emissions associated with its production. Fruit and vegetable industrial by-products occur in the form of leaves, peel, seeds, pulp, as well as a mixture of them and represent the most abundant food waste. The disposal of agricultural by-products costs a large amount of money under certain governmental regulations. However, fruit and vegetable by-products are rich in valuable bioactive compounds, thus justifying their use as food fortifier, active food packaging or as food ingredients to preserve food quality over time. The present review collects the most recent utilization carried out at lab-scale on Mediterranean fruit and vegetable by-products as valid components to prolong food shelf life, providing a detailed picture of the state-of-art of literature on the topic. Bibliographic research was conducted by applying many keywords and filters in the last 10 years. Several scientific findings demonstrate that by-products, and in particular their extracts, are effectively capable of prolonging the shelf life of dairy food, fresh-cut produce, meat and fish-based products, oil, wine, paste and bakery products. All of the studies provide clear advances in terms of food sustainability, highlight the potential of by-products as a source of bioactive compounds, and promote a culture in which foods are intended to receive a second useful life. The same final considerations were also included regarding the current situation, which still limits by-products diffusion. In addition, a conclusion on a future perspective for by-products recycling was provided. The most important efforts have to be conducted by research since only a multidisciplinary approach for an advantageous investigation could be an efficient method to promote the scale up of by-products and encourage their adoption at the industrial level.