Caracterización de películas comestibles a base de extractos pécticos y aceite esencial de limón Mexicano

Polysaccharide-Based Biodegradable Films: An Alternative in Food Packaging

Packaging can mitigate the physical, chemical, and microbiological phenomena that affects food products’ quality and acceptability. However, the use of conventional packaging from non-renewable fossil sources generates environmental damage caused by the accumulation of non-biodegradable waste. Biodegradable films emerge as alternative biomaterials which are ecologically sustainable and offer protection and increase food product shelf life. This review describes the role of biodegradable films as packaging material and their importance regarding food quality. The study emphasizes polysaccharide-based biodegradable films and their use in foods with different requirements and the advances and future challenges for developing intelligent biodegradable films. In addition, the study explores the importance of the selection of the type of polysaccharide and its combination with other polymers for the generation of biodegradable films with functional characteristics. It also discusses additives that cause interactions between components and improve the mechanical and barrier properties of biodegradable films. Finally, this compilation of scientific works shows that biodegradable films are an alternative to protecting perishable foods, and studying and understanding them helps bring them closer to replacing commercial synthetic packaging.

Edible Films and Coatings as Food-Quality Preservers: An Overview

Food preservation technologies are currently facing important challenges at extending the shelf-life of perishable food products (e.g., meat, fish, milk, eggs, and many raw fruits and vegetables) that help to meet the daily nutrient requirement demand. In addition, food preservation has gone beyond only preservation; the current techniques are focused on the fulfillment of two additional objectives, the suitability of the used processes and generation of environmentally friendly products with non-presence of any side effect on health. Moreover, they are also looking for additional nutritional properties. One of these preservation protocols deals with the use of edible films and coatings. Therefore, this review shows an overview of synthetic materials (e.g., glass, aluminum, plastic, and paperboard), as well as the regulations that limit their application in food packaging. Further, this review releases the current-state-of-the-art of the use of films and edible coatings as an alternative to conventional packaging, providing the main features that these biodegradable packaging should meet towards specific uses for the conservation and improvement of various food products. Herein, particular attention has been paid to the main used components (e.g., biopolymers, additives, bioactive, and probiotic components), manufacturing methods (for edible films or coatings) and their application to specific products. In addition, an outlook of the application of edible films and coatings as quality indicators of perishable products is shown.

Evaluation of Antimicrobial Coatings on Preservation and Shelf Life of Fresh Chicken Breast Fillets Under Cold Storage

Fresh poultry products such as chicken breast are very convenient for consumption due to their availability and nutritional and sensory characteristics but they have a short shelf life (3–5 days) due to their high water activity and propensity to microbial contamination and spoilage. In this work, the characteristics of edible coatings (EC) prepared from various formulations of guar gum (GG) and isolated soy protein were evaluated. From this evaluation, and due to the guar gum EC being the most suitable, antimicrobial coatings were prepared with different proportions of GG, nisin, and oregano oil to determine its effect on shelf life and change in physicochemical and microbiological properties of chicken breast fillets under refrigerated conditions. Fresh samples were coated with a coating-forming solution based on GG and stored at 4 °C for 16 days. During this time, the change in color, firmness, acidity, pH, growth of microorganisms was determined, and sensory tests of appearance, taste, and odor were performed. GG-coated samples retained color and firmness during storage. Likewise, a decrease in weight loss was achieved in the treated samples, and the sensory attributes were preserved compared to the uncoated samples. The application of the coating considerably delayed the growth of microorganisms, increasing the product shelf life (9 days) compared to the control samples (6 days).

Formulation and Characterization of Edible Films Based on Organic Mucilage from Mexican Opuntia ficus-indica

The consumption of organic products has increased in recent years. One of the most important products in Mexico is nopal. Nopal’s content and properties make the formulation of edible films possible. In this study, we aimed to develop and characterize biodegradable edible films containing mucilage from Opuntia ficus-indica. The mucilage extraction yield, thickness, color, water vapor permeability, light transmission rate, film transparency, solubility, stability of dispersion, and puncture strength were measured. The use of mucilage from different cultivars affected the water vapor permeability (8.40 × 10−11 g·m−1·s−1·Pa−1 for cultivar Villanueva, 3.48 × 10−11 g·m−1·s−1·Pa−1 for Jalpa, and 1.63 × 10−11 g·m−1·s−1·Pa−1 for Copena F1). Jalpa provided the most soluble mucilage with the highest thickness (0.105 mm). Copena F1 provided the clearest film with the greatest transparency (3.81), the best yellowness index, and the highest resistance (4.44 N·mm−1). Furthermore, this film had the best light transmission rate (48.93%). The Copena F1 showed the best film formation solution viscosity. These results indicate that mucilage mixed with pectin is a potential source for the formulation of edible films.

Natural Pectin Polysaccharides as Edible Coatings

The most fashionable trends in food packaging research are targeted towards improvements in food quality and safety by increasing the use of environmentally-friendly materials, ideally those able to be obtained from bio-based resources and presenting biodegradable characteristics. Edible films represent a key area of development in new multifunctional materials by their character and properties to effectively protect food with no waste production. The use of edible films should be considered as a clean and elegant solution to problems related with waste disposal in packaging materials. In particular, pectin has been reported as one of the main raw materials to obtain edible films by its natural abundance, low cost and renewable character. The latest innovations in food packaging by the use of pectin-based edible films are reviewed in this paper, with special focus on the use of pectin as base material for edible coatings. The structure, properties related to the intended use in food packaging and main applications of pectins are herein reported.