Innovations in packaging of fermented food products

Food packaging is designed to contain and protect foods, to provide required information about the food and to make food handling convenient from distribution to consumer’s table. The primary functions of packaging are to achieve preservation and the safe delivery of food products until consumption (Han, 2014). Food packaging technology is continuously evolving in response to growing challenges from a modern society (Realini & Marcos, 2014). Major current and future challenges to fast-moving consumer goods packaging include legislation, global markets, longer shelf life, convenience, safer and healthier food, environmental concerns, authenticity and food waste (Kerry, 2014). This background offers a unique opportunity to the packaging industry to offer innovative solutions to address the changing demands of the food industry and consumers as well as the increasing regulatory and legal requirements (Han, 2014). This chapter will present innovations and trends applied to the packaging of fermented food products: optimisation of barrier properties, modified atmosphere packaging, adaptation of packaging to non-thermal preservation technologies, active packaging and sustainable design

Co-extruded alginate as an alternative to collagen casings in the production of dry-fermented sausages: Impact of coating composition

The performance of co-extruded alginate coatings containing no extra additives (A), polyglycerol esters of fatty acids (EA), or pea protein (PA) was assessed as an alternative to collagen casings (C) for the manufacturing of dry-fermented sausages (fuet) with no inoculation of moulds and without a fermentation step (NMNF) and fuet inoculated with Penicillium candidum and fermented (MF). Stuffing into collagen casings resulted in slower sausage drying kinetics compared with alginate coating. No significant differences in aw were observed among the studied casing types for NMNF and MF fuets and for the evolution of the technological and spoilage microorganisms. Fuets coated with A, EA, and PA showed lower pH values than fuets stuffed in collagen casings. No significant differences on sensory properties between casing types were observed. Therefore, alginate coatings would be a feasible alternative to collagen casing from a technological and safety point of view.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Poly Lactic Acid (PLA) Nanocomposites: Effect of Inorganic Nanoparticles Reinforcement on Its Performance and Food Packaging Applications

Poly lactic acid (PLA) is a compostable, as well as recyclable, sustainable, versatile and environmentally friendly alternative, because the monomer of PLA-lactide (LA) is extracted from natural sources. PLA’s techno-functional properties are fairly similar to fossil-based polymers; however, in pristine state, its brittleness and delicacy during processing pose challenges to its potential exploitation in diverse food packaging applications. PLA is, therefore, re-engineered to improve its thermal, rheological, barrier and mechanical properties through nanoparticle (NP) reinforcement. This review summarises the studies on PLA-based nanocomposites (PLA NCs) developed by reinforcing inorganic metal/metallic oxide, graphite and silica-based nanoparticles (NPs) that exhibit remarkable improvement in terms of storage modulus, tensile strength, crystallinity, glass transition temperature (Tg) value, antimicrobial property and a decrease in water vapour and oxygen permeability when compared with the pristine PLA films. This review has also discussed the regulations around the use of metal oxide-based NPs in food packaging, PLA NC biodegradability and their applications in food systems. The industrial acceptance of NCs shows highly promising perspectives for the replacement of traditional petrochemical-based polymers currently being used for food packaging.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Putrescine: A Key Metabolite Involved in Plant Development, Tolerance and Resistance Responses to Stress

Putrescine (Put) is the starting point of the polyamines (PAs) pathway and the most common PA in higher plants. It is synthesized by two main pathways (from ornithine and arginine), but recently a third pathway from citrulline was reported in sesame plants. There is strong evidence that Put may play a crucial role not only in plant growth and development but also in the tolerance responses to the major stresses affecting crop production. The main strategies to investigate the involvement of PA in plant systems are based on the application of competitive inhibitors, exogenous PAs treatments, and the most efficient approaches based on mutant and transgenic plants. Thus, in this article, the recent advances in understanding the role of this metabolite in plant growth promotion and protection against abiotic and biotic stresses will be discussed to provide an overview for future research

Synthesis of polylactic acid initiated through biobased antioxidants: Towards intrinsically active food packaging

Polylactide (PLA)-based polymers, functionalized with biobased antioxidants, were synthesized, to develop an intrinsically active, biobased and potentially biodegradable material for food packaging applications. To achieve this result, phenolic antioxidants were exploited as initiators in the ring opening polymerization of l-lactide. The molecular weight, thermal properties and in vitro radical scavenging activity of the polymers obtained were compared with the ones of a PLA Natureworks 4043D, commonly used for flexible food packaging applications. The most promising synthesized polymer, bearing vanillyl alcohol as initiator (PLA-VA), was evaluated for active food packaging applications. Packaging with PLA-VA films reduced color and fat oxidation of salami during its shelf life.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Decision-making processes on sustainable packaging options in the European food sector

Food packaging improves shelf life and allows longer transportation distances in global food supply chains, but it is also responsible for huge volumes of waste. The transition to sustainable packaging by food companies has often been slow and inconsistent. How decisions on (sustainable) packaging are made within companies in the food sector remains mostly opaque to research. To explore the decision-making process and identify barriers for cleaner, more resource efficient food packaging, we carried out 17 interviews in four European countries across different food sectors using the theoretical decision-making process of Nutt (1984) as an analytical framework. Through qualitative content analysis, we found that decision-making processes often lack structure and extend over long stretches of time. Frequently, they are initiated in response to packaging material manufacturers or suppliers. Switching to more sustainable packaging often implies costly investments into new machinery. Economic sustainability takes precedence over ecological sustainability. We recommend companies move to life-cycle cost models for packaging decisions, commit to mono- and other recyclable materials, and establish structured decision-making processes with clear cut-off criteria so as to streamline implementation decisions. Our results further support a call for progressive legislation towards a circular economy in the packaging sector.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sustainable food packaging: An updated definition following a holistic approach

Food packaging solutions need to be redesigned to be more sustainable, but determining which solution is ‘more optimal’ is a very difficult task when considering the entire food product value chain. Previous papers paved the way toward a sustainable food packaging definition, but it is far from being commonly accepted or well usable in the broad food systems domain, which further results in uninformed choices for sustainable food packaging made by all stakeholders in the value chain: producers, distributors, practitioners and consumers. Therefore, this work aims first at giving a state-of-the-art overview of sustainable food packaging terms (38 similar terms were identified and grouped into four clusters: Sustainable, Circular, Bio and Other sustainable packaging) and definitions using systematic (narrative) review analysis and ‘controlled expert opinion feedback’ methodology. Second, it aims to offer an updated definition for sustainable food packaging, which is also specific to food packaging and be simple, coherent, easily understandable, and communicable to everybody. The applied holistic approach intends to include all aspects of the food-packaging unit, to consider food safety and packaging functionality, while taking into account different disciplines and challenges related to food packaging along the supply chain. Being a balancing act, a sustainable food packaging may not be a perfect solution, but contextual, suboptimal and in need of constant validation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sustainable food packaging: An updated definition following a holistic approach

publishedVersio

Identificació de marcadors biològics amb potencial per a l’optimització sensorial i tecnològica de la carn de porc i pernil curat

L’aplicació de tecnologies innovadores per a l’anàlisi de la qualitat (proteòmica) i per al processat de productes carnis (envasament actiu i altes pressions hidrostàtiques) amb la finalitat d’optimitzar la qualitat i la seguretat de productes carnis llestos per al consum fou evaluat. Els resultats obtinguts amb l’anàlisi proteòmic van permetre la detecció de pèptids/ proteïnes candidats a marcadors proteics de la qualitat dels lloms i dels pernils. La detecció d’aquests marcadors a la matèria primera (llom i pernil fresc) ajudaria a predir la qualitat final dels productes carnis processats (llom cuit i pernil curat), i proporcionaria una eina per al control de la qualitat de la carn de porc. No obstant, la validació del paper d’aquestes proteïnes a la qualitat final dels productes carnis és necessària abans de poder-los considerar marcadors proteics. Per altra banda, es va estudiar la possiblitat de millorar la seguretat alimentària de llonganissa sense sal afegida obtinguda amb el procés QDS® process a través l’ús de tecnologies innovadores (envasament actiu i altes pressions hidrostàtiques). La llonganissa sense sal afegida no va permetre el creixement de L. monocytogenes. No obstant, el patogen seria capaç de sobreviure durant la vida útil del producte en cas de recontaminació. L’envasament antimicrobià amb la inclusió de nisina com a antimicrobià natural es pot considerar un mètode efectiu per a millorar la seguretat de la llonganissa estudiada. L. monocytogenes va sobreviure al tractament d’alta pressió hidrostàtica (600 MPa, 5 min, 12ºC) gràcies a les característiques del producte de baixa activitat d’aigua i presència de lactat a la seva formulació. Per aquest motiu, la APH no es consideraria un tractament apropiat per a reduir la presència de L. monocytogenes en aquest tipus de producte.Application of novel technologies for quality measurement (proteomics) and for meat products processing (active packaging and high pressure processing) with the objective to optimise the quality and safety of ready-to-eat meat products was assessed. Candidate soluble protein markers for the quality of cooked loin and dry-cured hams were identified. The detection of these markers in the raw material would help to predict the final quality of meat products and would provide us with a tool for raw material quality control and selection. However, further validation of the involvement of these proteins in meat quality is needed before considering them as protein markers. On the other hand, sliced dry-fermented sausages with no added sodium salt obtained with the QDS® process proved to be products not able to support L. monocytogenes growth. However, the pathogen would be able to survive during the product shelf-life, if post-processing contamination occurred. Antimicrobial packaging with the inclusion of nisin as a natural antimicrobial could be considered as an effective method to improve the safety of sliced dry-fermented sausages with no added sodium salt obtained with the QDS® process. L. monocytogenes was able to survive to high pressure processing (600 MPa, 5 min, 12ºC) due to the conditions of the product under study of low water activity and presence of lactate in its formulation. Therefore, HPP could not be considerate an appropriate treatment to reduce L. monocytogenes in the type of dry-fermented sausage under study

Mejora de la seguridad alimentaria en productos cárnicos listos para el consumo mediante la aplicación combinada de tecnologías de conservación emergentes

La demanda creixent de productes mínimament processats i llestos per al consum planteja un important repte per a la seguretat alimentaria i ha conduit al desenvolupament de tractaments suaus que permetin inhibir el creixement microbià conservant la qualitat dels aliments. Els treballs recollits a la present tesi van plantejar diverses estratègies consistents en la combinació d'obstacles al creixement microbià per a millorar la seguretat de productes carnis llestos per al consum. Amb l'objectiu de millorar la seguretat dels embotits poc àcids, es va valorar l'aplicació del tractament per alta pressió hidrostàtica (APH) i l'addició de cultius iniciadors en embotits poc àcids. Per altra banda, per a reduir el risc de L. monocytogenes durant la conservació del pernil cuit llescat, es va avaluar l'efecte combinat de l'addició d'antimicrobians naturals (lactatat-diacetat i enterocines), afegits directament o a través de l'envasament antimicrobià, i el tractament per alta pressió hidrostàtica.The growing demand of minimally processed ready to eat food products raises a challenge for the food safety and has derived in the development of mild treatments effective to inhibit microbial growth without damaging food quality. The articles collected in this work studied the application of some strategies consisting of a combination of hurdles to inhibit microbial growth in order to improve the safety of ready to eat meat products. On one hand, the combined effect of high pressure processing and addition of starter cultures to improve the safety of low acid fermented sausages (fuet and chorizo) was assessed. On the other hand, the combination of high pressure processing and addition of natural antimicrobials (lactate-diacetate and enterocins), added directly or included in antimicrobial packaging, in order to reduce the risk of L. monocytogenes during storage of sliced cooked ham was evaluated