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.