Application of oil-in-water nanoemulsions based on grape and cinnamon essential oils for shelf-life extension of chilled flathead mullet fillets.

BACKGROUND: The effect of nanoemulsions prepared with grape seed and cinnamon essential oils on the shelf-life of flathead mullet (Mugil cephalus) fillets was evaluated by determining physicochemical (pH, free fatty acids, peroxide value, total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N), and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs)), sensory and microbiological (mesophilic aerobic bacteria, total psychrophilic bacteria, and Enterobacteriaceae counts) properties during 14 day storage at 2 °C. RESULTS: The nanoemulsions showed good stability and low average droplet size. The results indicated that nanoemulsion treatments significantly prolonged the shelf-life of the fillets. Treatment inhibited increases in pH and TVB-N, and retarded lipid oxidation and hydrolysis. Sensory assessment revealed that treatment induced shelf-life extension from 10 to 14 days, compared with controls. Microbiological analyses showed nanoemulsion treatment caused shelf-life extension from 10 to 12 days with reduction of microbiological contamination by up to 1 log cfu g-1 in mesophilic and 1.5 log cfu g-1 in psychrotrophic bacteria. CONCLUSION: Considering the results, grape seed and cinnamon essential oil nanoemulsions could be considered as novel antimicrobial and antioxidant materials for shelf-life extension of flathead mullet fillets during cold storage. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Active biopolymer films based on furcellaran, whey protein isolate and Borago officinalis extract: characterization and application in smoked pork ham production.

BACKGROUND: The meat industry is determined to find biodegradable packaging with properties similar to plastic. Furcellaran (FUR) and whey protein isolate (WPI) were used as a film matrix in which Borago officinalis extract (BOE) was incorporated as an antioxidant compound. The film's mechanical properties, water behavior, surface color, and antioxidant power were analyzed.Smoked hams were manufactured using two different types of film application: cured meat covered with film, smoked and cooked or hamsafter smoking, cooking and cooling. Smoked, vacuum packed ham was used as a control sample. The products were stored at 4 °C for 21 days and analyzed every 7 days. RESULTS: The elongation at break (EAB) and tensile strength (TS) of FUR/WPI films without the extract were 6.30% and 20.59 MPa, respectively, and after incorporating BOE, the EAB and TS were 24.30% and 15.33 MPa, respectively. The films with BOE were darker and had greater antioxidant capacity. The water content and activity in the products with films decreased along with storage time while the control remained stable. The results of microbiological, oxidation product accumulation, and sensory analysis were comparable in all the products. CONCLUSIONS: The smoking time can be reduced due to the dark color of the hams covered with BOE film. The barrier properties of those films should be increased. Other parameters were comparable to plastic packaging. The films therefore have the potential to be used instead of plastic packaging in the meat industry. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Recent Advances in Marine-Based Nutraceuticals and Their Health Benefits.

The oceans have been the Earth's most valuable source of food. They have now also become a valuable and versatile source of bioactive compounds. The significance of marine organisms as a natural source of new substances that may contribute to the food sector and the overall health of humans are expanding. This review is an update on the recent studies of functional seafood compounds (chitin and chitosan, pigments from algae, fish lipids and omega-3 fatty acids, essential amino acids and bioactive proteins/peptides, polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, and minerals) focusing on their potential use as nutraceuticals and health benefits.

Furcellaran/gelatin hydrolysate/rosemary extract composite films as active and intelligent packaging materials.

The study investigated the active and intelligent properties of films based on furcellaran (FUR), gelatin hydrolysate (GELH) and rosemary extract (from fresh leaves (FRE) and dry leaves (DRE)). Rosemary extracts were blended with FUR/GELH film forming solution at different three concentrations (5, 10, 20%). Analyzing the ζ-potential dependences of complexation polysaccharide-protein hydrolysate, we selected optimal ratio for the film formation. The introduction of rosemary extracts into FUR/GELH films increased thickness, water content and tensile strength. The UV barrier properties of tested films improved with the addition of rosemary extracts into FUR/GELH matrix. The antioxidant activity (DPPH and FRAP) did not improved with the addition of FRE but significantly increased with the addition of DRE, reaching 88% of DPPH inhibition and 207 of µmol Trolox/g of dried film of FRAP value. The color changes in different pH were observed, however, the fish spoilage test showed that those films are not suitable as intelligent films for monitoring freshness of this type of food product. Among all films tested, FUR/GELH film with 20% DRE exhibited the best performance. The obtained results suggested that FUR/GELH films with 20% DRE could be used as a promising active food packing material.

Intelligent and active furcellaran-gelatin films containing green or pu-erh tea extracts: Characterization, antioxidant and antimicrobial potential.

Biodegradable films from furcellaran and gelatin (FUR/GEL) with pu-erh (RTE) and green tea (GTE) water extracts (TEs) were obtained by a casting method. The films were examined in terms of physical properties (thickness, density, water solubility, water content, degree of swelling, color), antioxidant properties (DPPH, ABTS, TPC), antimicrobial properties (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans and Henseniaspora uvarum) and mechanical properties (tensile strength, elongation at break). The values of tensile strength (TS) increased from 9.62 to 24.14 or 13.59 MPa after GTE or RTE incorporation, respectively. Parameters of elongation at break were not changed. Higher color parameters: a*, b* and ∆E were observed in biocomposite films with RTE. The FUR/GEL films with GTE and RTE can be used for intelligent food packaging, due to their sensibility of pH changes. Possible interaction between the film matrix and TEs was confirmed using FTIR. The antioxidant properties were significantly enhanced with increasing GTE and RTE concentration reaching 43.92 and 48.94% of DPPH and 15.76 and 14.98% of ABTS radical inhibition, respectively. The microbiological analysis confirmed antimicrobial properties of FUR/GEL with GTE against E.coli and S. aureus (inhibition zones of 16 and 22.5 mm, respectively).

Biogenic Amine Formation and Microbiological Quality of Anchovy (Engraulis encrasicolus) Treated with Lavender and Lemon Balm Ethanol Extracts.

Biogenic amine formation and bacterial growth of vacuum-packed European anchovy treated with 1% lemon balm (LB) or lavender (LD) ethanol extracts was investigated. The treated samples were stored at 2 ± 1 °C for 11 d and analyzed for biogenic amines, total viable count, fecal coliform count, and lactic acid bacterial count. The analyses were done on 0, 4, 7, 9, and 11 d of storage. Both LB and LD extracts proved effective in reducing most biogenic amines, with histamine reduced by 3-fold compared to control. The calculated biogenic amine index showed that LB extract was the most effective in inhibiting the biogenic amine formation. The reduction in total viable count was low and the bacterial contamination reached more than 7 log cfu/g at the end of the storage period for all the samples. Moreover, the reduction in fecal coliform and lactic acid bacterial count by LB and LD extracts was below 1 log cfu/g. Treatment of European anchovy with LB and LD extracts proved to be a very effective preservation technique to reduce the biogenic amine formation and lower the risk of histamine fish poisoning but is not effective in reduction of bacterial load. Consequently, LB and LD extracts could be used to reduce the biogenic amine formation which provides additional safety prior to spoilage for histamine sensitive fish species.

Increasing meat product functionality by the addition of milled flaxseed Linum usitatissimum.

BACKGROUND: Functional meat products are still rare on the market because it is difficult to incorporate new ingredients and obtain both a healthy and acceptable product. Flaxseed is known for its beneficial properties and, in the present study, it was used as an ingredient in the production of homogenised and liver sausages (0%, 5% and 10% flaxseed addition). RESULTS: Homogenised and liver sausages with the addition of 5% flaxseed were given the highest scores by the consumers, although the colour changed with the addition of flaxseed. The spreadability and hardness of the liver sausages increased with the addition of flaxseed, whereas the texture of homogenised sausages did not change. Addition of flaxseed improved the fatty acids profile from a health point of view for both products, as a result of increasing n-3 fatty acids and overall polyunsaturated fatty acids content. Values for thiobarbituric acid reactive substances were higher in products with flaxseed and were observed to increase during storage. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study indicate that it is possible to obtain products that are acceptable by consumers and, at the same time, are more healthy. A high level of α-linolenic acid in the sausages at a level of addition of 5% allows the product to be labelled with information regarding their high omega-3 fatty acid content. However, those products are more susceptible to oxidation. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.

Significance of antioxidants for seafood safety and human health.

The demand for high-quality seafood products is constantly growing worldwide. Nevertheless, seafood is susceptible to rapid rancidity mainly due to lipid oxidation and microbiological spoilage. Thus, treatment with antioxidants offers a preservation technique that can prolong the shelf life of seafood. However, because of food safety and health concerns about the use of synthetic antioxidants, there is growing interest in the application of natural antioxidants, mainly plant extracts and compounds, as an alternate means of confronting the problem of lipid oxidation. In this review, up-to-date information and recent discoveries about different naturally occurring antioxidants on the oxidation progress, synthetic antioxidants and their health concerns, health benefits of antioxidants, antioxidants used for seafood, and food safety concerns are addressed. The antibacterial effects of natural antioxidants are also reviewed. Finally, the most effective methods for analyzing a wide range of antioxidants in plants are described.