Carvacrol and Thymol for Fresh Food Packaging

Abstract

Active packaging is becoming an emerging food technology to improve quality and safety of food products. One of the most common approaches is based on the release of antioxidant/antimicrobial compounds from the packaging material. In this work an antifungal active packaging system based on the release of carvacrol and thymol was optimized to increase the post-harvest shelf life of fresh strawberries and bread during storage. Thermal properties of the developed packaging material were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Volatile compounds in food samples contained in active packaging systems were monitored by using headspace solid phase microextraction followed by gas chromatography analysis (HS-SPME-GC-MS) at controlled conditions. The obtained results provided evidences that exposure to carvacrol and thymol is an effective way to enlarge the quality of strawberries and bread samples during distribution and sale.

Effect of low thermal pasteurization in combination with carvacrol on color, antioxidant capacity, phenolic and vitamin C contents of fruit juices

“…Carvacrol (5‐isopropyl‐2‐methylphenol) is the major component of Origanum spp essential oil. It is a GRAS compound known for its strong and wide antimicrobial spectrum and classified as a natural economical food preservative (Nostro & Papalia, ; Ramos et al., ; Sánchez, Aznar, & Sánchez, ). Kamdem et al.…”

“…Carvacrol (5-isopropyl-2-methylphenol) is the major component of Origanum spp essential oil. It is a GRAS compound known for its strong and wide antimicrobial spectrum and classified as a natural economical food preservative (Nostro & Papalia, 2012;Ramos et al, 2013;Sánchez, Aznar, & Sánchez, 2015). Kamdem et al (2011) and Ait-Ouazzou et al (2013) have observed that mild thermal treatment of fruit juices in combination with this compound could be a method to ensure safety against Listeria monocytogenes 56 LY and Escherichia coli O157:H7.…”

Effect of Poly(Lactic Acid)/Kenaf Composites Incorporated with Thymol on the Antimicrobial Activity of Processed Meat

“…Various forms of antimicrobial (AM) packaging have been implemented as alternatives to conventional preservatives to inhibit microbial growth in food, maintain the quality of the produce, and ultimately, to reduce food wastage (Ramos et al . ; Qin et al . ).…”

Antimicrobial active packaging combining essential oils mixture: Migration and odor control study

“…Plant essential oils (EOs) are natural alternative to chemical preservatives, with an effective antimicrobial, antifungal, and antiviral activity, and can be potentially useful as AM agents in packaging systems . These compounds are approved for contact with food and classified as Generally Recognized as Safe (“GRAS”) by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) . Numerous studies have concentrated on the biological activity of essential oils .…”

“…It has been reported that thymol, carvacrol, citral, and eugenol are among the most active oil compounds against Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes and were used in the present study . Studies that examined the implementation of EOs into various polymer matrixes for food packaging were extensively published as well . Thymol and carvacrol are monoterpenoid phenols found in EOs of thyme and oregano, eugenol is a phenylpropene and the major component of clove oil, and citral is an acyclic unsaturated monoterpene aldehyde present in the oils of several plants including lemon myrtle, lemons, limes, lemongrass, oranges.…”