Antioxidant active packaging for chicken meat processed by high pressure treatment
Highlights
► Lipid oxidation is induced in meat by high pressure processing. ► Antioxidant active packaging reduces lipid oxidation in the surface part of meat. ► Lipid oxidation was more pronounced at the surface than in the interior of meat.
Introduction
Among the novel physical food preservation methods, the application of high pressure (HP) has been the most successful so far. HP processing results in an effective reduction of microbial counts and keeps the food nutritionally and sensorially almost unaffected. Given these advantages, HP processing becomes very useful as a post-packaged preservation technology for ready to eat (RTE) whole or sliced meats products, seafood, fresh-cut fruits and juices, as well as deli salads, condiments, dips, dressings, soups, salsas, and sauces. Another important factor of increasing importance is the fact that HP processing time and energy consumptions are considerably lower compared to conventional thermal methods. Thus, a promising future is anticipated when the theoretical and practical scientific efforts will match the market needs and will become a new profitable technology (Hendrickx & Knorr, 2002).
HP processing can be applied as a preservation method to a wide range of meat products such as cured meats, processed meats or meats for further processing, and ready meals. Commonly, food preservation processing pressure is 500 MPa and up to 900 MPa (Patterson, 2005). Moreover, the pressurisation can improve functional properties of muscle proteins such as gelation and water binding capacity (Cheftel and Culiolo, 1997, Jiménez Colmenero, 2002, Sun and Holley, 2010). However, depending on the pressure level and duration, HP processing of meat may also trigger lipid oxidation (Dissing et al., 1997, Orlien et al., 2000). It has been established that a pressure between 300 and 600 MPa is critical for inducing lipid oxidation (Orlien et al., 2000, Beltran et al., 2003, Beltran et al., 2004, Mariutti et al., 2008). The use of antioxidants can prevent the high pressure induced lipid oxidation (Mariutti et al., 2008) and rosemary extract has been successfully used to protect chicken meat processed by high pressure (Bragagnolo et al., 2005, Bragagnolo et al., 2006, Bragagnolo et al., 2007). Hence, in order to get safe meat and meat products with extended shelf-life, studies of the mechanisms of the pressure-induced lipid oxidation and how to prevent it are fundamental for a successful implementation of HP technology in the meat industry.
Active packaging is a novel technology which is designed to incorporate material components in the packaging that release or absorb substances from or into the packaged food or the surrounding environment in order to extend the shelf-life and maintain or improve the condition of packaged food. The technology provides several advantages compared to direct addition, such as lower amounts of active substances required, localisation of the activity to the surface, the migration from film to the food matrix (which could be used to provide antioxidant effects for longer protection), and elimination of additional steps within a standard process intended to introduce the antioxidant at the industrial processing level such as mixing, immersion, or spraying. New regulations, the Commission Regulation (EC) No 450/2009 (EC, May 2009), and the Question Number EFSA-Q-2005-041 (EFSA, July 2009), develop the current Regulation 1935/2004 (EC, October 2004) and make active packaging possible within the European Union.
In relation to meat, research has been focused on the study and development of active packaging with antimicrobial substances (Coma, 2008, Jofré et al., 2008, Kerry et al., 2006, Quintavalla and Vicini, 2002). To our knowledge there are only a couple of reports on the use of antioxidants as active substances in active packaging to extend the shelf-life of meat and meat products and they deal with the packaging and display of fresh meat in a modified atmosphere (Nerín et al., 2006, Camo et al., 2008) and on the effect of packaging material in relation to high pressure processing (Rivas-Cañedo, Fernández-García, & Nuñez, 2009). Given the great functionality of antioxidants, the combination of active packaging and antioxidants for HP processed meat products seems to have market potential.
In order to evaluate antioxidant active packaging in combination with high pressure treatment as a method to provide longer shelf-life, the effect of pressure-induced lipid oxidation in the inner part and at the surface of chicken meat patties with or without active packaging was investigated. The potential involvement of radical intermediates during the high pressure induced lipid oxidation has been examined by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy.
Section snippets
Preparation of the antioxidant active films
A 10% rosemary extract solution in ethanol was used to prepare the active films. Commercial food grade lipid soluble rosemary extract (Kemin Food Ingredients BVBA, Herentals, Belgium) containing 4.5% of carnosic acid was used.
In order to prepare the active films, ordinary household plastic for wrapping foods, a low density polyethylene of 12 μm of thickness, was cut into foils of the size: 30 × 22 cm = 660 cm2. The obtained plastic foils were spread and the necessary amount of rosemary extract
Lipid oxidation throughout storage
Lipid oxidation was monitored as TBARs throughout the storage period of 25 days at the surface (S) and the inner part (I) of the chicken breast patties packaged in standard packaging (control, C) or in antioxidant active packaging (AP), and HP treated (800 MPa, 10 min) (Fig. 1). The initial levels of oxidation at day 1 can be divided according to decreasing oxidation level: CS > CI = APS > API (>means significant (p < 0.05) difference between the groups, whereas, = means no mutual difference between
Conclusions
The level of lipid oxidation of minced chicken breast and thigh patties processed by high pressure (800 MPa, 10 min, 5 °C) and stored at 5 °C was found to depend on location and packaging. The lipid oxidation in chicken patties occurred mainly in the surface part and antioxidant active packaging was able to delay the oxidation induced by high pressure processing and, thus extended the shelf-life. Radicals were formed during the high pressure treatment and could be trapped by the spin trapping.
Acknowledgements
We gratefully thank Henriette Erichsen for technical assistance. Fundación Alfonso Martin Escudero is fully acknowledged for the fellowship to Tomas Bolumar.
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