To eliminate their classical brittleness and flexibility problems zein films were plasticized by incorporation of different phenolic acids (gallic acid (GA), p-hydroxy benzoic acid (HBA) or ferulic acids (FA)) or flavonoids (catechin (CAT), flavone (FLA) or quercetin (QU)). The use of GA, CAT, FA and HBA at 3 mg/cm 2 eliminated the brittleness of films and gave highly flexible films showing elongations between 135% and 189%, while FLA and QU caused no considerable effect on film elongation. The films containing FA and HBA showed extreme swelling and lost their structural integrity when hydrated in distilled water. In contrast, CAT and GA containing films maintained their integrity following hydration. Most of the GA (up to 93%) and a considerable portion of CAT (up to 60%) in the films existed in soluble form. Therefore, the films showed antioxidant and/or antimicrobial activity. The TEACs of soluble phenolic compounds in 3 mg/cm 2 CAT and GA containing films were 21.0 and 86.2 μmol trolox/cm 2 , respectively. The GA containing films showed antimicrobial activity on Listeria monocytogenes and Campylobacter jejuni, while CAT showed no antimicrobial activity on these bacteria at the studied concentration. This work opens a new perspective for using zein in flexible bioactive packaging.

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Total antioxidant activities based on ABTS free radical scavenging activity and phenolic content of fresh or dry hazelnuts, walnuts and pistachios assayed with their seed coats changed between 3063 and 11,076 μmol trolox equivalents/100 g d.w. and 256 and 755 mg gallic acid equivalents/100 g d.w., respectively. The walnuts used in this study showed the highest antioxidant activity, followed by pistachios and hazelnuts. The removal of seed coat reduced the total antioxidant activity of hazelnuts, walnuts and pistachios almost 36, 90 and 55%, respectively. The total antioxidant activities of investigated fresh and dry nuts are not considerably different. However, phenolic content and antioxidant activity in hydrophilic and ethanolic fractions obtained by successive extraction of nuts showed some variation. The antioxidant activity in 1-serving portion of fresh or dry walnuts is equivalent to that in almost 2-serving portions of black tea, and 1.2-1.7-serving portions of green and Earl Grey tea. One-serving portions of dry hazelnuts and fresh or dry pistachios contained antioxidant activity equivalent to that in 0.7-1-serving portions of black tea. The antioxidant activity measurements correlated with phenolic content (r2 = 0.70). This study showed the potential of using fresh or dry nuts to develop functional foods with high antioxidant activity

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a b s t r a c tAntimicrobial packaging materials were obtained by incorporation of lysozyme into cellulose acetate (CA) films. In order to achieve controlled release of lysozyme, the structure of the films was changed from highly asymmetric and porous to dense by modulating the composition of the initial casting solution. The highest release rate, soluble lysozyme activity and antimicrobial activity were obtained with the film prepared from 5% CA solution including 1.5% lysozyme. Increasing CA content in the casting solution decreased the porosity of the films, hence, reduced the release rate, maximum released lysozyme activities and the antimicrobial activities of the films. In contrast, immobilized lysozyme activities and the tensile strength of the films increased. The incorporation of lysozyme did not cause significant reductions in tensile strength and elongation at break values except in films prepared with 15% CA. This study showed the good potential of asymmetric CA films to achieve controlled release in antimicrobial packaging.