Aquatic food products, including fish and crustaceans, are some of the most consumed foods globally and are highly prone to microbial contamination. Such products have been preserved using conventional processing techniques such as freezing, cold storage, modified atmospheric packaging (MAP), and vacuum packaging. However, these techniques have been used since decades and are not cost‐effective. Therefore, alternative sustainable strategies need to be explored. One viable option is the application of biopolymer‐based films and coatings loaded with active antimicrobial agents (peptides and essential oil components) for the preservation of aquatic food products. Nisin is the most widely used peptide for the development of antimicrobial coatings, while eugenol, carvacrol, and cinnamaldehyde are among the most popular essential oil compounds. Findings reveal that both peptides and essential oils, when applied in combination within a coating system, demonstrate robust antimicrobial activity, delayed lipid oxidation, and retain the overall quality of the aquatic food system.
Novelty impact statement
Antimicrobial‐based coating systems have recently gained worldwide attention due to their ability to delay food contamination and maintain product quality throughout the storage period. This review provides a comprehensive description of peptide and essential oil‐loaded coating systems and their application in the shelf‐life extension of aquatic food products. In addition, the application of nanocomposite systems for the preservation of aquatic foods has been discussed.
With paramount pressures from the laws enforcing agents and the general public in greenhouse gas emission and environmental issues, the importance of biodegradable materials with suitable properties for potential applications in the food packaging has received serious attention. In this work, tamarind kernel powder (TKP)/halloysite (HS)/cinnamaldehyde (CND) nanocomposite (NC) films were successfully developed using the solution casting method. CND with selected concentrations (0.5%–3%, w/w) were loaded into TKP (5% w/w)/HS (2% w/w) matrix. The NC films were characterized by optical measurement (e.g., color, transparency), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometer (FTIR), barrier, and mechanical properties. The CND concentration significantly influenced the film properties. The developed nanocomposite films exhibited excellent antimicrobial efficacy against Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative foodborne pathogens (Bacillus cereus, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella Typhimurium). Film with 2% CND was found to be a good candidate for active packaging application.
Practical applications
In the present times, there have been increased interests in the fabrication of biodegradable films for food packaging applications to reduce the usage of plastic‐based materials. This trend has urged researchers to develop bio‐based packaging materials with increased functionality. Tamarind kernel powder possesses excellent film‐forming properties, and their reinforcement with nanoclays and essential oil makes them useful as a food packaging material. In the present study, the optical, barrier, and antimicrobial properties of tamarind kernel powder films were improved by incorporating halloysite nanoclay and cinnamaldehyde. Therefore, the developed antimicrobial films with improved functionality have high potential as a food packaging material.
Indian coffee plum (Flacourtia jangomas) is an underutilized fruit with many great nutritional and medicinal value generally available in the northeastern part of India. Although rheological study of different fruit pulps have been studied till now, however no such study has been undertaken on Indian coffee plum. The present study was aimed to evaluate the steady-state shear and viscoelastic rheological properties of Flacourtia jangomas (F. jangomas) pulp as function of temperature in the range 20 to 80°C using dynamic oscillatory viscometry, as well as applicability of Cox-Merz rule. Under steadystate shear tests, the shear stress versus shear rate data were adequately fitted to the Bingham model (R 2 = 1) for too low shear rate (0.1to 1.0 s −1 ) and Power law model (R 2 > 0.83) for moderate shear rate (1.0 to 100 s −1 ). Oscillatory shear data of the fruit pulp showed weak gel behavior where loss modulus exceeded the value of storage modulus. The power modified Cox-Merz rule was tested for all temperature and found applicable for lower temperatures. These results could be beneficial for future studies on food properties and industries.
Correlation between physical properties of Popped Makhana (variety: Sabour-1 Makhana) such as tri-axial dimensions, spatial diameters, projected areas, volumes and mass may aid in predicting pops quality besides fabrication of post-harvest machinery. Hence, the present work aims to predict the mass of Makhana pops as a function of its physical attributes using nonlinear mathematical models. Depending upon high variation in mass data (0.19-0.46 g), pops were categorized into small,
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