118,159 research outputs found
The protective effect of film metallization against oxidative deterioration and discoloration of sensitive foods
No full textThe importance of the optical properties of packaging materials is often underestimated and little attention is generally given to the shelf-life of lightsensitive food products. In this paper, the effects of the light barrier of different
metallized films in delaying chemical degradative reactions, which occur in dry lasagna made with eggs and spinach, were investigated. The array of films
evaluated in the experiment accounted for a large distribution of optical properties.
Pouches prepared from the different films were filled with dry lasagna and stored at room temperature for about 4 months under a fluorescent light source. Sensory evaluations, CIE-L*, a*, b* colour measurements and hexanal formation were evaluated during storage. The shelf-life of lasagna packed in metallized films was 2.5 times greater than the same product packed in non-metallized films. A
correlation between transmittance values of the packaging films and shelf-life reduction was obtained. Because of the fat and the pigments of lasagna and also its shape (large surface area), lasagna seems to be a good model system when studying the protective performance of packaging materials against degradative reactions that involve oxygen and are very sensitive to light exposure
Coatings of Bio-based materials on flexible food packaging : opportunities for problem solving and innovations
No full textA sustainable new economy needs a marked turn in the use of raw materials and resources; if solar and wind power represent the perspective in the energy supply sector, Bio-based materials (BBM) and their composites might be the future in the field of new materials (Carus & Scholz, 2010). Every year, using different biosynthetic pathways, nature affords 170 billion of metric tons of biomass, but only a small amount (around 3.5 %), mainly represented by wood used for conventional applications, is utilized by mankind (Shen et al., 2010). The packaging sector, with food packaging by far its largest part, uses about 250 million tons of different materials and accounts for almost 500 billion dollars worldwide; about one third of that huge amount of material is made up of synthetic plastics (Piergiovanni, 2010). Therefore, the packaging sector represents a significant challenge and an excellent opportunity for reducing dependence on fossil resources and increasing the sustainability of a specific field. Anyhow, to accelerate and to make feasible the replacement of the conventional materials with Bio-based alternatives, without prompting any conflict with the packaging lines currently operating within the manufacturing companies, a valuable opportunity is represented by the use of BBM as coatings for common flexible packaging materials, with the aim of improving properties while reducing the thickness of synthetic plastic films. In this context, after a preliminary review of the existing uses and perspectives of BBM, this chapter firstly focuses on the coating technology applications in the flexible packaging field, then presents some of the experimental work carried out within our research group for the enhancement of useful performance of plastic films for food packaging, through the development of thin layers made of BBMs assembled using different procedures
Coatings of Bio-based materials on flexible food packaging: opportunities for problem solving and innovations (chapter 13)
No full textA sustainable new economy needs a marked turn in the use of raw materials and resources; if solar and wind power represent the perspective in the energy supply sector, bio-based materials (BBM) and their composites might be the future in the fi eld of new materials (Carus & Scholz, 2010). Every year, using different biosynthetic pathways, nature affords 170 billion metric tons of biomass, but only a small amount (around 3.5%), mainly represented by wood used for conventional applications, is utilized by mankind (Shen et al., 2010). The packaging sector, with food packaging by far its largest part, uses about 250 million tons of different materials and accounts for almost 500 billion dollars worldwide; about one third of that huge amount of material is made up of synthetic plastics (Piergiovanni, 2010). Therefore, the packaging sector represents a signifi cant challenge and an excellent opportunity for reducing dependence on fossil resources and increasing the sustainability of a specifi c fi eld. Anyhow, to accelerate and to make feasible the replacement of the conventional materials with bio-based alternatives, without prompting any confl ict with the packaging lines currently operating within the manufacturing companies, a valuable opportunity is represented by the use of BBM as coatings for common fl exible packaging materials, with the aim of improving properties while reducing the thickness of synthetic plastic fi lms. In this context, after a preliminary review of the existing uses and perspectives of BBM, this chapter fi rstly focuses on the coating technology applications in the fl exible packaging fi eld, then presents some of the experimental work carried out within our research group for the enhancement of useful performance of plastic fi lms for food packaging, through the development of thin layers made of BBMs assembled using different procedure
Effects of ingredients and process conditions on “Amaretti” cookies characteristics
No full textThis research aimed at determining the influence of different factors (i.e. ingredients and process conditions) on the most important characteristics defining consumers’ appreciation of ‘Amaretti’ cookies using DOE (design of experiment) technique. A different recipe than the original one was used in the manufacturing of the cookies, where saccharose was partially replaced with fructose and bamboo fibre was added as a new ingredient. Besides fructose/saccharose ratio and fibre, the effect of egg white, baking time and baking temperature on quality responses (hardness, water activity, moisture content and colour) of ‘Amaretti’ was measured by using a fractional factorial design in a screening test. Responses were affected mostly by changes in temperature and fructose/saccharose ratio levels and then by baking time; bamboo fibre had a statistically significant influence only on hardness. The power of fit of the regression models was significant for all four responses and had R2 value in the range of 0.886–0.997. However, the power of prediction was significant only for hardness, moisture content and colour and had Q2 value in the range of 0.584–0.965. The mathematical model for water activity resulted inappropriate to explain the link between factors and response. The achieved results can represent a useful tool to address and facilitate the next phase of optimisation
Effect of bamboo fibre and glucose syrup as new ingredients in the manufacture of amaretti cookies
No full textAmaretti”, Sardinian almond based cookies, have a shelf-life of about seven days, due to the quick hardening of the internal moist paste. To improve their quality, two different new ingredients (bamboo fibre and glucose syrup), known as water binding agent, were used separately to obtain two different recipes in addition to the original one. To evaluate their effects, moisture content (wet basis) and aw were measured. Sorption isotherms were determined and texture (by puncture test) and colour (as L* parameter) evolution were monitored. Moreover, a formal sensorial evaluation was carried out. Moisture content and aw evolution indicate that both the ingredients are effective to preserve the softness of the internal paste for a longer time. In particular, after ten days of storage, moisture loss from the internal paste was greater for the traditional cookies (61.2% fall) in comparison with fibre and glucose syrup based “Amaretti” (49.3% and 49.7%, respectively). However, sorption data and puncture test showed that bamboo fibre appears more suitable than glucose syrup to maintain the typical difference between the external dry crust and the moist almond based core, due to an intense water redistribution that take place in the sugar dominated formulation. Moreover, colour analysis evidenced a significant difference between the glucose syrup based recipe (L* ~ 53) and the other ones (L* ~ 75): this added reducing sugar led to a like-burnt colour of the final product. Finally, the most important difference among recipes assessed by the descriptive panel test, concerned the highest stickiness of cookies made using glucose syrup, whereas fibre perception resulted not relevant
NAFISPACK (Natural Antimicrobial for Innovative and Safe Packaging) EU Research Project: objectives and current outcomes
No full textScientific research was one of the first and most important functions that the European community shared and harmonized. In 1984, the European Commission (the executive body of the EU) launched the first pluriannual Framework Programme (FP1) for research and technological development. Since then the FPs have played a leading role in multidisciplinary research and cooperative activities in Europe and beyond, and in each FP the themes of packaging, and food packaging in particular, have had much relevance, leading to important results and real and effective consequences in real life. 2007 saw the start of the seventh programme which is both larger and more comprehensive than earlier Framework Programmes. It will run to 2013 with a budget of 53.2 billion euros, the largest funding allocation yet for such programmes. Also in this latest project, the themes of safe and innovative packaging are well represented, attracting the attention of several research groups in research centers and universities in Europe. The first project concerning food packaging approved for funding in the first call of FP7 was NAFISPACK, acronyms that stays for Natural Antimicrobial for Innovative and Safe Packaging, and the project started at the end of November 2008 .
The delivery of safe food from the producer to the consumer requires meticulous monitoring at every stage in the supply chain, a concept now called “farm-to-fork”. The “farm-to-fork” philosophy underlines the fact that the quality and safety of food is a major priority for the industry and authorities. Packaging plays here a crucial role since its most important functions are preservation and protection of food. Packaging materials are good substrates where an active substance, that can be usefully released to the food, can be placed. In NAFISPACK project, interest is focused on the preservation of fresh food which has short shelf life due to its rapidly spoilage by microorganism. As in most solid and semi solid foods the microorganisms grow mainly at the surface thus, the concept of incorporating antimicrobial agents into or onto the food contact material has been widely developed in the past. The concern about synthetic preservatives, however, is steadily rising due to a limited documentation on safety and tolerance. Instead, natural antimicrobials (NAs) are time tested as food additives and ingredients but, in general, isolation of bioactive components from natural sources and their use in packaging pose new parameters of evaluation and new problems for several different reasons. Some of these reasons are related to the effectiveness of the active substance on target microorganism, others deal with the NAs capacity of overcoming the process for including them in a packaging materials; others are related to their chemical stability, solubility, diffusion kinetics, others refer to the availability, the costs, the food and packaging law. This situation deserves a very careful evaluation of many points that have been little or never faced in the past.
The lecture will present the main, strategic objectives of the three years project NAFISPACK and will detail the specific objectives that will be achieved through out an interdiciplinary and joint work of research. It will also introduce the 17 partners involved in NAFISPACK network, their specific competences and how their scientific job is related and managed. Finally, preliminary results in the NAs selection and in the choice of process technologies to be used in manufacturing the new packaging materials, will be shortly presented
Minimally processed potatoes : part 2. Effects of high oxygen partial pressures in combination with ascorbic and citric acid on loss of some quality traits
No full textSliced potatoes were stored in flexible packaging under different oxygen partial pressures (10, 55 and 100 kPa) after dipping treatments
with ascorbic and citric acid at different concentrations. The levels of oxygen, ascorbic and citric acid were modulated according to a Central
Composite Design. The response surface methodology allowed an assessment of the effects of these variables and their interactions on the
respiration rate in a closed system, on the carbon dioxide accumulation rate and the volatile metabolites production inside flexible pouches.
The results showed that the respiration rate did not increase in direct linear proportion to the oxygen partial pressure and there was no
significant difference in respiration between 55 and 100 kPa, even though the respiration rate was higher at these super-atmospheric oxygen
levels than at 10 kPa. Citric acid did not affect the respiration significantly, while the respiration rate increased with the increase in ascorbic
acid concentration. However, at the highest level of ascorbic acid tested (5%), the respiration rate decreased. During storage in a high barrier
plastic pouch, a higher CO2 accumulation rate was generally observed under 55 kPa than under 10 and 100 kPa. High oxygen partial pressures
(55 and 100 kPa) did not stop the production of hexanal but they had an inhibitory effect on the anaerobic volatiles productio
- …
