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Propolis is a natural product that meets the requirements as functional additive for food packaging due to its antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. In this work, ethanolic propolis extract (EPE) was incorporated in cassava starch films, and characterisations with respect to their microstructure, mechanical properties, water vapour permeability (WVP), moisture sorption kinetics as well as antimicrobial and antioxidant capacities were performed. The results showed that tensile strength was not affected (P > 0.05) by the presence of EPE but Young's modulus decreased about 50% when compared to control films possibly because of EPE plasticiser effect. When 1% EPE was used, changes in moisture sorption properties were detected by a slightly hydrophobic character at films WVP. When extracted from the films, propolis retained its antioxidant activity. The films exhibited antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli even at low EPE concentrations (0.5%) mainly due to its phenolic compounds.

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A B S T R A C TSeeds from Araucaria angustifolia (Bertol.) Kuntze are consumed after cooking and their coats discarded. Both coats and the cooking water present phenolic compounds, which may be used to improve mechanical properties and provide antioxidant characteristics to films. The objective of this work was to obtain and pinhão coat extracts and to apply these polyphenolic-rich extracts in zein films. Phenolic compounds composition, extraction yield and antioxidant activity (DPPH, ABTS and FRAP) of the extracts were determined. The most abundant molecules present in the hydroethanolic extract were (+)-catechin and an (epi)catechin dimer, whereas protocatechuic acid were predominant in the both cooking water and ethanolic extracts. Glass transition temperature of zein was not found in the extract-loaded films. Morphological changes were also caused by the presence of the extracts yielding smoother surfaces. The extracts added to zein films led to a three-fold increase in tensile strength (from 5.80 MPa to 17.65 MPa) and two-fold increase in the elongation at break (from 1.60% to 3.18%).

There is an increasing demand for healthier foodstuff containing specific compounds such as Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids (PUFAs). In the case of PUFAs, protection against oxidative degradation is challengeable and microencapsulation emerges as an alternative. Mayonnaises containing microencapsulated oils could be a source of PUFAs. The objective was to formulate mayonnaises containing microencapsulated chia seeds oil, pumpkin seeds oil or baru oil. Micrometric particles with high encapsulation efficiency were produced and thermal analyses indicated an increased thermal stability of all oils after encapsulation. Rheology studies highlighted an increase in the mayonnaise viscosity when microparticles containing chia and pumpkin seeds oil were added. Mechanical texture was not affected by the presence of microparticles in the mayonnaise in all formulations tested. Nevertheless, samples containing microcapsules up to 5%wt were not distinguished from the base-mayonnaise in the sensorial test. Overall, enriched mayonnaises were successfully produced and encapsulation was efficient in protecting oils from oxidation.

The development of active packaging is a relevant topic demanding the development of films with diverse properties to preserve specific foodstuff. The objective of this work was to obtain extruded TPCS/PBAT films containing curcumin and evaluate it as an active antimicrobial and antioxidant packaging to protect chia oil from oxidative degradation. Morphology, thermal, mechanical, antimicrobial, and antioxidant evaluation of the films were conducted to determine whether the presence of curcumin affected the film's properties. Infrared Spectroscopy indicated that curcumin addition affected the crosslinking reaction between citric acid and starch, which explains the changes in hydrophilicity and mechanical strength of the films. The incorporation of curcumin conferred antimicrobial activity against Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) bacteria, as well as antioxidant activity. Films were tested as chia oil packaging, being verified that they successfully prevented oil degradation under accelerated stability test (60°C for 7 days), demonstrating the feasibility of using TPCS/PBAT biodegradable films containing curcumin to obtain active packaging materials.