Natural colorant incorporated biopolymers-based pH-sensing films for indicating the food product quality and safety.

The current synthetic plastic-based packaging creates environmental hazards that impact climate change. Hence, the topic of the current research in food packaging is biodegradable packaging and its development. In addition, new smart packaging solutions are being developed to monitor the quality of packaged foods, with dual functions as food preservation and quality indicators. In the creation of intelligent and active food packaging, many natural colorants have been employed effectively as pH indicators and active substances, respectively. This review provides an overview of biodegradable polymers and natural colorants that are being extensively studied for pH-indicating packaging. A comprehensive discussion has been provided on the current status of the development of intelligent packaging systems for food, different incorporation techniques, and technical challenges in the development of such green packaging. Finally, the food industry and environmental protection might be revolutionized by pH-sensing biodegradable packaging enabling real-time detection of food product quality and safety.

Characterization of pomegranate peel extract loaded nanophytosomes and the enhancement of bio-accessibility and storage stability.

Nano-phytosomes are lipid-based nano-carriers and rapidly growing technology for products containing phytochemicals. In this study, pomegranate peel extract (PPE) loaded nanophytosomes (NP) were prepared with phosphatidylcholine (PC) based on thin layer hydration method. The characterization of NP such as entrapment efficiency (EE), particle size, poly-dispersity index (PDI), ζ-potential and microstructural properties was studied and in vitro bioaccessibility and storage stability of bioactive properties were investigated. The highest EE was determined as 94.99 %, indicating a unique ability as nano-carrier. PPE-loaded NPs showed good characteristics, such as lower PDI values (<0.5), lower particle size (166.70-144.40 nm), and spherical shape of microstructure. All NP complexes showed significant bioaccessibility with TPC, CUPRAC, and ABTS values >50 % in the intestinal medium. The lowest TPC and color difference (ΔE) during 28 days of storage were found at 4 °C, although all NP samples showed better stability at all storage temperatures up to 21 days.

Preparation of Fish Skin Gelatin-Based Nanofibers Incorporating Cinnamaldehyde by Solution Blow Spinning.

Cinnamaldehyde, a natural preservative that can non-specifically deactivate foodborne pathogens, was successfully incorporated into fish skin gelatin (FSG) solutions and blow spun into uniform nanofibers. The effects of cinnamaldehyde ratios (5-30%, w/w FSG) on physicochemical properties of fiber-forming emulsions (FFEs) and their nanofibers were investigated. Higher ratios resulted in higher values in particle size and viscosity of FFEs, as well as higher values in diameter of nanofibers. Loss of cinnamaldehyde was observed during solution blow spinning (SBS) process and cinnamaldehyde was mainly located on the surface of resultant nanofibers. Nanofibers all showed antibacterial activity by direct diffusion and vapor release against Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella typhimurium, and Listeria monocytogenes. Inhibition zones increased as cinnamaldehyde ratio increased. Nanofibers showed larger inhibition effects than films prepared by casting method when S. typhimurium was exposed to the released cinnamaldehyde vapor, although films had higher remaining cinnamaldehyde than nanofibers after preparation. Lower temperature was favorable for cinnamaldehyde retention, and nanofibers added with 10% cinnamaldehyde ratio showed the highest retention over eight-weeks of storage. Results suggest that FSG nanofibers can be prepared by SBS as carriers for antimicrobials.