Development of a new material of active and biodegradable packaging: chitosan film and antioxidant compound (lemongrass essential oil)

Abstract

The development of new active and biodegradable packaging material is a tendency in food packaging sector. The innovations in packaging material requests the food quality and safety, extension of the shelf life of foods, and low cost-effective and biodegradability.. Chitosan is a polymer derived from chitin, found in abundance in nature in exoskeleton of insects and crustaceans. Biopolymer films of chitosan have advantages such as resistance and flexibility, oxygen barrier, easy biodegradability, antimicrobial property and low toxicity. The incorporation of natural antioxidants in chitosan film forms an active packaging system. The consumers are emanding natural compounds and food industries are looking for alternatives to control the lipid oxidation by using natural antioxidants. Researchs with lemon grass essential oil indicate its antioxidant potential, due mainly to the presence of the citral as bioactive compound. The antioxidant packaging system can be considered an alternative in high fat content foods . The quality, acceptability and shelf life of chicken meat, and especially its industrialized products, depend on several factors, and lipid oxidation is one of the main stability problems of the product. The aim of this study is to develop, characterize and apply a new biopolymeric material based on chitosan film and lemon grass essential oil as an antioxidant and antimicrobial bioactive compound. The effect on lipid oxidation (value of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, TBARS) of the antioxidante packaging material will be evaluate in restructured product of chicken and on the inhibition of potentially pathogenic microrganisms. At the same time, the microbiological (psychrotrophic and mesophilic bacteria) and sensorial characteristics (acceptance test) of the restructured chicken meat samples (hamburger).