Biodegradation study of some food packaging biopolymers based on PVA

Abstract Polymers are a common choice as protective materials since they combine flexibility, variable sizes and shapes, relatively light weight, stability, resistance to breaking, barrier properties and perceived high-quality image with cost-effectiveness. Currently, mainly non-biodegradable petroleum-based synthetic polymers are used as packaging materials for foods, because of their availability, low cost and functionality. However, biopolymers can be made from renewable resources without the environmental issues of petroleum-based polymers and with the additional advantage of being available from renewable sources or as by-products or waste-products from the food and agriculture industries. The aim of this study was to test some food packaging biopolymers based on PVA. In this respect, some biopolymers for food packaging applications were subjected to biodegradation tests by covering the tested samples with soil. The samples were incubated in known temperature and humidity conditions. The experiment lasted 45 days, after that the samples were washed, weighed and the biodegradation degree was calculated. The obtained results shows that PVA is a promising material for food packaging usage, as it is made from renewable resources and it is environmentally friendly.Â

Nutritional characterization of organic seabuckthorn pomace

Seabuckthorn is recognized worldwide as a valuable berry with real benefits in human health. It is being analysed in detail for its introduction as a functional ingredient in various sectors of the food industry. The most popular industrial product of sea buckthorn fruit is sea buckthorn juice, but significant amount of pomace results after fruit processing as waste. The purpose of this paper is to characterize fresh, dried, and ground sea buckthorn pomace (as powder) that could be further used as functional ingredients. In terms of nutritional characterization, antioxidant activity, total phenolic content and ascorbic acid content were determined. The results show that sea buckthorn pomace presents important nutritional value and can be further processed and used as a functional ingredient in various industrial applications

INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT PRODUCT ATTRIBUTES ON ROMANIAN CONSUMER PURCHASE DECISIONS FOR ORGANIC DRIED BERRIES

Data collected in recent years has shown an enormous growth in overall consumer health consciousness. Nowadays the food industry is facing a new profile of consumers, and these consumers are demanding healthier options. Packaging claims are considered to have an influence on consumer purchase decisions for food products. In our research we included 289 participants that answered to our questionnaire that have two parts. The first part of the questionnaire focuses on attributes like: price (7 Romanian leu - RON, 12 RON; 1 EUR = 4.59 RON, exchange rate on 30.08.2017), origin (Romania, European Union), drying method (microwave, sundried, air-dried), and nutritional claim (with or without nutritional claim) for a specific organic dried berries mix, to allow us to supply specific values for these factors to the research participants. The second part of the questionnaire focuses on evaluating a series of statements regarding consumers’ attitudes towards: organic food, naturalness, healthy food, and novel processing technologies. Data were processed by conjoint analysis. Conjoint analysis of responses from this 289 participants (representative sample for the Romanian urban population), with a margin of error of ±6% at a 95% confidence level) reveals that specific attributes affect consumer purchase decisions of organic dried berries mix (P ≤ 0.05). We found that consumers’ willingness to pay for microwave-dried berries is independent from values associated with price, origin and nutritional claim. This study offers demographic information on Romanian consumer’s attitude towards new technologies for organic berry-based products. Also, it is established that conjoint studies technique is a useful instrument in designing new products. Financial support for this project is provided by funding bodies within the CORE Organic Plus FP7-ERANET- 618107 Ensuring quality and safety of organic food along the processing chain and with cofounds from the European Commission UEFISCDI - ERA NET for Romanian Partner USAMVB - “Innovative and eco-sustainable processing and packaging for safe and high quality organic berry products with enhanced nutritional value” EcoBerries

Identification of the Most Relevant Quality Parameters for Berries – A review

Fresh fruit jointly to vegetables are an essential component of a healthy diet, able to decrease the risk of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. In the last years, their consumption has continued to grow rapidly linked to the increased public awareness of their health benefits, even if it remains below the recommended daily intake in many countries, due to barriers such as complacency and lack of willpower to change the diet. The attributes of berries, like chemical-physical and nutritional characteristics, microbial contamination, chemical contaminants as well as sensorial properties represent some very important quality parameters that must be determined in order to establish the quality of berries after ripening and during storage, until they reach their final destination (consumer). The aim of this study was to perform a literature review in order to determine the most relevant quality parameters of berries and to describe methods for their determination

SUSTAINABLE PACKAGING SOLUTIONS FOR ORGANIC FRESH BERRIES

Climate changes and particularly global warming are topics carefully treated by specialists already since decades. The most pregnant factor that influences climate change is pollution, namely the high level carbon dioxide emissions. Besides other substances used by the most of the industries (oil, charcoal, fertilizers, etc.), plastics are not to be ignored when talking about pollution. Plastic waste affects animals and humans, as well as their habitat. In this respect, food industry engages in preserving the good functioning of the environment by developing and using biodegradable and bio-based resources for food packaging. The aim of this literature review was to identify the optimal sustainable packaging solution used for berries. The results of the study pointed out that the most used environmentally friendly packaging technique is the one that involves modified atmosphere. In terms of packaging materials, the literature is limited when it comes to biodegradable/bio-based solutions. However, active packaging gains popularity among researchers, considering the endless possibilities to include sustainable compounds in a biopolymer based matrix, in order to prolong the shelf-life of berries or fruits in general

The Experimental Development of Bread with Enriched Nutritional Properties Using Organic Sea Buckthorn Pomace

In this study, sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) pomace resulting from juice extraction was dried and ground in order to obtain a powder that was further used in bread making. Sea buckthorn pomace, an invaluable by-product of the industry, contains bioactive compounds and dietary fibers that promote health. Dried by-products of sea buckthorn are rich sources of nutritional and bioactive compounds, offering great potential for use as nutraceuticals in animal feed, ingredients in functional food, and the pharmaceutical industry. The utilization of sea buckthorn by-products promotes a circular and sustainable economy by implementing innovative methods and strategic approaches to recover high-value products and minimize waste in multiple ways. For this purpose, three organic sea buckthorn varieties were used, namely Mara (M), Clara (C), and Sorana (S). Further, 6%, 8%, and 10% pomace powder were added to wheat flour to prepare functional bread, and its effects on structural, nutritional, and sensorial characteristics were investigated. The volume, porosity, and elasticity of the obtained bread samples were slightly lower compared to the control sample (white bread). The nutritional characteristics revealed that the developed bread presented higher antioxidant activity, polyphenolic content, and crude fiber compared to the control sample. The acceptability test showed that consumer preferences were directed toward the bread samples containing 8% sea buckthorn powder, regardless of the variety, while the addition of 10% pomace powder led to major sensorial changes. The results of this study showed that sea buckthorn pomace powder can be successfully incorporated into bread in order to obtain a food product with enhanced properties

Latest Developments in Edible Coatings on Minimally Processed Fruits and Vegetables: A Review

The food industry nowadays is facing new challenges in terms of sustainability and health implications of packaging and processing techniques. Due to their desire for new and natural products coupled with changes in lifestyle, consumers are looking for food products that have been less processed but possess longer shelf life and maintain nutritional and sensorial proprieties during storage. These requirements represent real challenges when dealing with highly perishable food products, such as fruits and vegetables. Thus, in recent years, edible coatings have been intensively developed and studied because of their capacity to improve the quality, shelf life, safety, and functionality of the treated products. Edible coatings can be applied through different techniques, like dipping, spraying, or coating, in order to control moisture transfer, gas exchange, or oxidative processes. Furthermore, some functional ingredients can be incorporated into an edible matrix and applied on the surface of foods, thus enhancing safety or even nutritional and sensory attributes. In the case of coated fruits and vegetables, their quality parameters, such as color, firmness, microbial load, decay ratio, weight loss, sensorial attributes, and nutritional parameters, which are very specific to the type of products and their storage conditions, should be carefully monitored. This review attempts to summarize recent studies of different edible coatings (polysaccharides, proteins, lipids, and composites) as carriers of functional ingredients (antimicrobials, texture enhancers, and nutraceuticals) applied on different minimally processed fruits and vegetables, highlighting the coating ingredients, the application methods and the effects on food shelf life and quality

Efects of some drying methods on the content in bioactive compounds in sea buckthorn by-products

Recent research has shown that the consumption of sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides) berries has many benefits for human health. Large amount of waste which result from sea buckthorn berries processing, yet containing significant quantities of bioactive substances, is being the subject of numerous latest research studies. Sea buckthorn by-products represent a valuable source of bioactive compounds that could be used for their favorable nutritional and functional properties in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food industries. The aim of this work is to establish a method for drying process of sea buckthorn by-products in order to obtain a powder from dry sea buckthorn waste with minimum loss of the bioactive substances. For this purpose, sea buckthorn by-product (peel and seeds) was dried at different temperatures (30˚C, 40˚C, 50˚C and 60˚C) by conventional hot air drying versus lyophilization method and then the antioxidant activity (DPPH), the content of total polyphenols and ascorbic acid content were determine