Caio G. Otoni

Edible Films from Methylcellulose and Nanoemulsions of Clove Bud (Syzygium aromaticum) and Oregano (Origanum vulgare) Essential Oils as Shelf Life Extenders for Sliced Bread

Consumers are increasingly demanding foods with lower synthetic preservatives. Plant essential oils are natural compounds with remarkable antimicrobial properties and may be incorporated as emulsions into water-soluble polymers to form antimicrobial films. Coarse emulsions (diameters of 1.3-1.9 μm) and nanoemulsions (diameters of 180-250 nm) of clove bud (Syzygium aromaticum) and oregano (Origanum vulgare) essential oils were produced through low-speed mixing and ultrasonication, respectively. Methylcellulose was added for film-forming purposes. Both essential oils reduced the rigidity and increased the extensibility of the methylcellulose films, effects that were even more pronounced for nanodroplets. Both essential oils lessened the counts of yeasts and molds in sliced bread during 15 days, and droplet size reduction provided a further improvement in antimicrobial properties. Due to increased bioavailability, less preservative content might be used and still deliver the same antimicrobial efficiency if encapsulated in smaller particles.

Ultraviolet-B radiation induced cross-linking improves physical properties of cold- and warm-water fish gelatin gels and films.

Cold- and warm-water fish gelatin granules were exposed to ultraviolet-B radiation for doses up to 29.7 J/cm(2). Solutions and films were prepared from the granules. Gel electrophoresis and refractive index were used to examine changes in molecular weight of the samples. Also, the gel strength and rheological properties of the solutions as well as the tensile and water vapor barrier properties of the films were characterized. SDS-PAGE and refractive index results indicated cross-linking of gelatin chains after exposure to radiation. Interestingly, UV-B treated samples displayed higher gel strengths, with cold- and warm-water fish gelatin having gel strength increases from 1.39 to 2.11 N and from 7.15 to 8.34 N, respectively. In addition, both gelatin samples exhibited an increase in viscosity for higher UV doses. For gelatin films, the cold-water fish gelatin samples made from irradiated granules showed greater tensile strength. In comparison, the warm-water gelatin films made from irradiated granules had lower tensile strength, but better water vapor barrier properties. This might be due to the UV induced cross-linking in warm-water gelatin that disrupted helical structures.

Recent Advances on Edible Films Based on Fruits and Vegetables—A Review

Food packaging materials are traditionally expected to contain foodstuffs and protect them from deteriorating agents. Although petroleum-derived polymers have been widely used for this purpose, the rising concern with their nonrenewable and/or nonbiodegradable nature paves the route for the development of greener alternatives, including polysaccharides and polypeptides. The use of these food-grade biomacromolecules, in addition to fruits and vegetables, provides edible packaging with suitable physical-mechanical properties as well as unique sensory and nutritional characteristics. This text reviews the chronological development pathway of films based on fruit and vegetable purees, pomaces, and extracts. Recent advances are extensively reviewed with an emphasis on the role that each film component plays in the resulting materials, whose production methods are examined from a technical standpoint and essential properties are compiled and contrasted to their conventional, synthetic counterparts. Finally, this comprehensive review discusses advantages and limitations of edible films based on fruits and vegetables.

A low-cost alternative membrane system that promotes growth in nodal cultures of Brazilian ginseng [ Pfaffia glomerata (Spreng.) Pedersen]

In vitro propagated plants under conditions of low gas exchange generally show morphological and physiological anomalies that lead to high mortality rates during ex vitro acclimatization. The use of gas-permeable membranes increases natural ventilation in culture vessels, photosynthesis and growth rates. However, commercial membranes are expensive, which limits their application. In this study, low-cost, simple to manufacture, alternative membranes were developed to promote gas exchange in jars used for in vitro plant tissue culture. The membranes were developed using polytetrafluoroethylene film and two or three layers of microporous tape (Missner & Missner®), and were designed to increase the growth of nodal cultures of Pfaffia glomerata (Brazilian ginseng). Conditions that provided higher gas exchange led to an increase in plant growth and content of photosynthetic pigments compared to a closed system without a gas-permeable membrane. The alternative membranes showed similar results for water vapor loss rate and photosynthetic pigments when compared to a commercial membrane. The alternative membranes were also an efficient barrier against contamination and remained intact after being autoclaved multiple times. Among the membranes tested, the traits of the P. glomerata in vitro-derived plants were similar when propagated using the alternative membrane with three layers of microporous tape or the commercial membrane. However, the alternative membrane has a unit cost that is ten times lower than the commercial membrane.

Hydrophobic edible films made up of tomato cutin and pectin

Cutin is the biopolyester that protects the extracellular layer of terrestrial plants against dehydration and environmental stresses. In this work, cutin was extracted from tomato processing waste and cast into edible films having pectin as a binding agent. The influences of cutin/pectin ratio (50/50 and 25/75), film-forming suspension pH, and casting method on phase dispersion, water resistance and affinity, and thermal and mechanical properties of films were investigated. Dynamic light scattering and scanning electron microscopy revealed that cutin phase aggregation was reduced by simply increasing pH. The 50/50 films obtained by casting neutral-pH suspensions presented uniform cutin dispersion within the pectin matrix. Consequently, these films exhibited lower water uptake and solubility than their acidic counterparts. The cutin/pectin films developed here were shown to mimic tomato peel itself with respect to mechanical strength and thermal stability. Such behavior was found to be virtually independent of pH and casting method.

Antimicrobial and aromatic edible coating on fresh-cut pineapple preservation

The present research aimed to develop an edible coating incorporated with mint essential oil, evaluate its effectiveness in inhibiting in vitro microbial development, and improve both quality and shelf-life of fresh-cut pineapple. Mint essential oil-containing edible coatings showed in vitro antimicrobial efficiency against Escherichia coli and Salmonella Enteritidis. Titratable acidity, pH, and texture were not affected (P>0.05) by coating or storage time. Mass loss was not higher than 1.0% after the 6th day of storage. No effect of storage time and coating on total soluble solids was observed. Mint essential oil-containing coatings inhibited the growth of yeasts and molds in fresh-cut pineapple. Compared to uncoated and control-coated samples, mint essential oil-containing coatings lessened psychrotrophic bacteria counts throughout storage. Counts of thermotolerant coliforms were not higher than 3.0MPN·g-1 in all treatments, whereas no Salmonella sp. was detected during the 6-day storage. Mint essential oil provided a strong flavor to the fruit, as shown by sensory evaluations.

Chapter 34 – Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles for Food Packaging Applications

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is an inorganic compound widely used in many applications such as in pharmaceutical, cosmetic, food, rubber, commodity chemical, painting, ceramic, and glass industries. ZnO is currently listed as generally recognized as safe by the US Food and Drug Administration and used as a food additive, given that zinc is an essential trace element. The advent of nanotechnology led to the development of materials with novel properties for use as antimicrobial agents. ZnO nanoparticles have presented antimicrobial properties and potential applications in food preservation. ZnO nanoparticles have been incorporated in polymeric matrices in order to provide antimicrobial activity to the packaging material and improve some packaging properties. This chapter presents the main ZnO nanoparticle synthesis methods, its principal characteristics and antimicrobial action mechanisms, as well as the effect of its incorporation in polymeric matrices. Safety aspects and future trends are also presented and discussed.

Pediocin Applications in Antimicrobial Food Packaging Systems

Abstract Pediocin is an active peptide with highly specific inhibitory activity against Listeria monocytogenes . Due to its antimicrobial activity, pediocin has many applications in food preservation that involve the inoculation of its producing strain or its direct addition into the food, and recently its incorporation into food packaging. This chapter begins with the main characteristics of pediocin, including structure, antimicrobial activity, and the mechanism of action. Moreover, pediocin applications in polymers for food preservation and the engineering properties of packaging materials incorporated with pediocin are reviewed. Finally, safety and regulation issues and future trends are also discussed.

On the effects of hydroxyl substitution degree and molecular weight on mechanical and water barrier properties of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose films

In line with the increasing demand for sustainable packaging materials, this contribution aimed to investigate the film-forming properties of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) to correlate its chemical structure with film properties. The roles played by substitution degree (SD) and molecular weight (Mw) on the mechanical and water barrier properties of HPMC films were elucidated. Rheological, thermal, and structural experiments supported such correlations. SD was shown to markedly affect film affinity and barrier to moisture, glass transition, resistance, and extensibility, as hydroxyl substitution lessens the occurrence of polar groups. Mw affected mostly the rheological and mechanical properties of HPMC-based materials. Methocel® E4 M led to films featuring the greatest tensile strength (ca., 67 MPa), stiffness (ca., 1.8 GPa), and extensibility (ca., 17%) and the lowest permeability to water vapor (ca., 0.9 g mm kPa-1 h-1 m-2). These properties, which arise from its longer and less polar chains, are desirable for food packaging materials.

Fabrication of Biocompatible, Functional, and Transparent Hybrid Films Based on Silk Fibroin and Epoxy Silane for Biophotonics

In this work we explored the fabrication of flexible and transparent hybrids of silk fibroin (SF) and epoxy-modified siloxane for photonic applications. It is well-known that regenerated SF solutions can form free-standing films with high transparency. Although SF has a restricted number of chemically reactive side groups, the main issues of as-cast pristine SF films regard the high solubility into aqueous media, brittleness, and low thermal stability. The design of SF films with enhanced functionality but high transparency triggers new opportunities on a broader range of applications in biophotonics. Here we present a simple, functional, yet remarkably versatile hybrid material derived from silica sol-gel process based on SF protein and (3-glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane (GPTMS), an organically modified silicon-alkoxide owning a reactive terminal epoxy group. Specifically, we investigated the effect of the addition of GPTMS into SF solutions on the processability, morphology, crystallinity, and mechanical and optical properties of the resulting hybrid films. Highly transparent (ca. 90%) and flexible free-standing hybrid films were achieved. Cell viability assays revealed that the hybrid films are noncytotoxic to rat osteoblast cells even at high GPTMS content (up to 70 wt %). The hybrid films showed enhanced thermal stability and were rich in organic (epoxy) and inorganic (silanol) functional groups according to the content of GPTMS. We also evaluated the successful preparation of high-quality optical red emissive SF hybrid films by loading YVO4:Eu3+ nanoparticles at low concentration (<5 wt %). A meaningful description of the hybrid film structure is reported from the combination of scanning electron and atomic force microscopies, vibrational spectroscopy, solid-state NMR, and X-ray diffraction analyses.