Strategies and Challenges for Successful Implementation of Green Economy Concept: Edible Materials for Meat Products Packaging

Abstract

Currently, the problem of pollution due to plastic waste is a major one. The food industry, and especially that of meat and meat products, is intensely polluting, both due to the raw materials used and also to the packaging materials. The aim of the present study was to develop, test, and characterize the biopolymeric materials with applications in the meat industry. To obtain natural materials which are completely edible and biodegradable, different compositions of agar, sodium alginate, water and glycerol were used, thus obtaining 15 films. The films were tested to identify physical properties such as smell, taste, film uniformity and regularity of edges, microstructure, color, transmittance, and opacity. These determinations were supplemented by the evaluation of mechanical properties and solubility. According to the results obtained and the statistical interpretations, three films with the best results were used for packing the slices of dried raw salami. The salami was tested periodically for three months of maintenance in refrigeration conditions, and the results indicate the possibility of substituting conventional materials with the biopolymer ones obtained in the study.

Algae: Study of Edible and Biologically Active Fractions, Their Properties and Applications

“…Sodium alginate showed good mechanical strength, moisture barrier, and cohesiveness. Other features such as high water viscosity, permeability, absorption capacity, and the ability to incorporate various compounds into the matrix have extended its applicability in the development of new materials in meat packaging [ 175 , 176 ].…”

“…Using the casting method, Puscaselu et al [ 176 ] prepared sodium alginate/agar films utilizing glycerol as a plasticizer. After testing and identifying the best characteristics, a new film was used to package the slices of dried salami.…”

Development of New Biodegradable Agar-Alginate Membranes for Food Packaging

“…The water activity values of the samples were determined using an AquaLab 4TE water activity meter (Meter Group, Pullman WA, USA). The determinations were made in triplicates [24].…”

“…The thickness of the membranes, expressed in micrometers, was determined by the Mitutoyo Corporation micrometer (Kawasaki, Tokyo, Japan), with a sensitivity of 0.001 mm. The final results were expressed as the average of ten thickness measurements [24].…”

“…Film roughness was evaluated with a Mahr CWM 100 confocal microscope (Mahr, Gottingen, Germany). The results were registered after observing 5 different areas and then they were processed with the trial version of Mountain Map software, version 9 (Digital Surf, Lavoisier, France) [24].…”