Active Packaging and Role in Bio-preservation

Lecture 2

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 2 2. Moisture Scavengers
 Increase in moisture makes the products more prone to microbial spoilage and may cause
alterations in texture and appearance, consequently reducing shelf-life

 Moisture control strategies in packaging can be divided into different categories:

1. Moisture reduction: for example, by MAP (modified atmosphere packaging) through

replacing the humid air in the headspace with dry MA gas, or vacuum-packaging through
the removal of humid air in the headspace
Passive

2. Moisture elimination: by applying a desiccant/absorber

Active
3 Active moisture scavengers

Relative Humidity
Moisture removers
controllers

scavenge humidity in Absorb

the
headspace liquids
 Silica gel beads
4 Desiccants

 Used to control humidity in the packaging headspace

 Examples:

 Silica gel, clays, molecular sieves (synthetic crystalline version, such as from zeolite, sodium,
potassium, calcium alumina silicate)

 Humectant salts (such as sodium chloride, magnesium chloride, calcium sulfate)

 Humectant compounds (such as sorbitol)

 Calcium oxide
5 RH-scavenging food packaging systems
6 Moisture Removers
moisture absorbent pads

cellulosic fiber / super

absorbent polymer
(SAP)/ Polyacrylate

moisture absorbent Granules

(clay /softwood)
7 3. Ethylene (C2H4) Absorbers
Why it should be removed??

 Plant growth regulator (accelerating ripening and senescence)

 Increasing the respiration rate of fresh and minimally processed climacteric produce

 Accelerates chlorophyll degradation rates

 Enhances excessive softening of fruits

8 Some examples…………

Ethylene Absorber bag

 Releasing/ Emitting systems
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Most popular mechanism is Controlled Release packaging (CRP)

• Aim to Prolong duration of active

compound delivery

• To the predictability and reproducibility of

release rates

Active substance
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1. Antioxidant Releasers

To prevent or slow down the oxidation reactions that affect the quality of food

 Radicals, mainly oxo, hydroxyl, and superoxide, are originated from oxygen and they are the

main initiators of oxidation

 Leads to a reduction in shelf-life due to changes in taste and/or odor, deterioration of the texture

and reduction in nutritional quality

 Antioxidants eliminate radicals as soon as they are formed

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Types of commercial Antioxidants

1. Synthetic: Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and butylated

hydroxyanisole (BHA)
• BHT and BHA have a higher volatility therefore, more suitable for dry food
applications

2. Natural: polyphenols, tocopherols (Vit. E), plant extracts, and

essential oils (EOs)
• i.e. Green tea, Oregano, Rosemary and Barley husk extracts, Citric acid,
Thymol, carvacrol, and eugenol, resveratrol
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Some examples in dairy industry

Active Substances Matrix / Food Application Benefit
Packaging
Application
α-Tocopherol, BHT, Poly (lactide-co- Dry whole milk and Improvement of oxidative
BHA glycolide) film dry stability (lower pentanal and
buttermilk powders heptanal content)
α-Tocopherol Multilayer film: Whole milk powder Improvement of oxidative
HDPE/EVOH/ stability (lower pentanal,
LDPE hexanal, and heptane content)
Green tea extract Multilayer OPP Dark chocolate Oxidative stability
film peanuts, milk improvement (lower
chocolate cereals hexanal and higher pyrazine
content)
13 2. Carbon dioxide emitter
 Relatively high CO2 levels (60 to 80%) inhibit microbial growth on surfaces and, in turn, prolong shelf life
of packed food.

 It’s a complementary approach to O2 scavenging

Limitations

 The permeability of CO2 is 3 to 5 times higher than that of O2 in most plastic films, it must be continuously
produced to maintain the desired concentration within the package

 High CO2 levels cause changes in taste of some products thereby useful only in certain applications such as
fresh meat, poultry, fish and cheese packaging

 Insufficient to retard the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, Vibrio species, Escherichia coli, Bacillus cereus
and Enterococcus faecalis at ambient temperatures
14 CO2 releasing systems

 ferrous carbonate

 mixture of ascorbic acid and sodium bicarbonate

 combination of sodium bicarbonate and citric acid

Commercial examples…………

Active CO2 Freshpads

 3. Antimicrobial realising System
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 antimicrobial food packaging systems classified according to their active substance/material:

1. Essential Oils: Cinnamon, Carvacrol, thymol, Oregano, Basil leaf, Allium spp and Vanillin

2. enzymes and bacteriocins: Nisin, lacticin, sakacin, enterocins, Pediocin

3. Antimicrobial Polymers: ε-Polylysine, Chitosan

4. organic acids and other organic compounds:

Citric acid, Sorbic acid, Potassium sorbate and/or
sodium lactate, Allyl isothiocyanate
 Active Matrix/ Microorganisms tested Food Benefit
substances packaging application
application
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Cinnamaldehy Chitosan S. aureus, E. coli and in Milk Extension of microbiological shelf-life:
de (Eos) Reversible milk Depending on the different time/temperature
covalent inoculated with L. treatments, inhibition of the growth of L.
Immobilization monocytogenes monocytogenes up to 12 d under refrigeration
conditions without causing any rejection among
potential consumers due to the cinnamon smell.

Nisin low-density Microbiota, M. luteus Milk: raw, Retardation of microbial

(enzymes and polyethylene pasteurized, growth
bacteriocins) (LDPE) film UHT
Nisin-coated Total aerobic bacteria, Milk, Improvement of microbial stability of milk and
paperboard Yeast Orange juice orange juice at 3 and 10 °
Chitosan Carboxy methyl S. aureus, P. Egyptian soft Antibacterial and antifungal activity,
(antimicrobial cellulose and aeruginosa, E. white extension of shelf-life
polymers) zinc oxide film coli, C. albicans cheese
Sorbic acid PVDC film L. monocytogenes, total Beef bologna Prevention of bacterial growth in beef bologna:
(organic acids aerobic slices, L. monocytogenes up to 6.5 and 7.2 log lower
& derivatives) mesophilic and lactic cheddar with 1.5 and 3% sorbic acid films, respectively;
acid bacteria cheese and for LAB and mesophiles 4 to 6 log lower
(28 d at 4 °C)
Mechanisms of Action:
EOs are secondary metabolites and
17 Essential Oils play an important role in plant
defense, thus, some of them possess
strong antimicrobial properties

They influence on the reaction mechanismsof

primary energy metabolism, in particular on
NADH andsuccinate dehydrogenase activities,
membrane bound respirat-ory electron flow and
oxidative phosphorylation of microorganisms

Their lipophilic properties

enables them to dissolve in
thecytoplasmic membrane and
by their functional groups
interferring with the enzyme
protein structures
 Bacteriocins
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“Proteinaceous or peptidic toxins

produced by bacteria to inhibit the growth

of similar or closely related bacterial

strain(s)”

1. Prevent the correct cell wall synthesis

2. Depolarization of cell membrane and

3. Pore formation in membrane leading to cell

death
 Antimicrobial polymers
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i) The ionic surface

interaction resulting
in wall cell leakage

ii) The inhibition of the

mRNA and protein
synthesis via the
penetration of
chitosan into the
nuclei of the
microorganisms

iii) The formation of an

external barrier,
chelating metals and
provoking the
suppression of
essential nutrients to
microbial growth.
 20 Organic acids & derivatives

Shift internal pH out of

range for optimal
enzymatic activity, protein
and DNA/RNA synthesis

Increase the permeability of

the membrane as well as
cause interference with
membrane proteins in molds