Biodegradable materials have great potential to improve and maintain the food quality. Chitosan biofilms (1% wt/vol) added with three concentrations of extract of acerola agroindustrial residue (vol/wt) were produced: 0% (G1); 1.0% (G2); and 2.5% (G3). The study was conducted in two main stages: in the first step, samples of all three groups and a control group (GC) were stored for 18 days (4 °C ± 1 °C), being analyzed for TBARS and pH. The groups 1 and G2 showed the best results. In the second stage, chicken meat packed with biofilms G1, G2, and a new GC were stored for 20 days (4 °C ± 1 °C), being evaluated for pH, temperature, TBARS, color parameters, water‐holding capacity, TPA, and microbiological analysis. The biofilm G2 presented the best results, maintaining the quality of the samples for 20 days of storage.
Practical applications
The film developed in this work has as main characteristics the biodegradability and the antioxidant activity, which were incorporated into the film with an antioxidant extract of acerola, produced from the agroindustrial residue of acerola, a byproduct usually discarded by the juice industry. For the development of this film, low‐cost materials and straightforward equipment were used, their application in the chicken meat was simple and the results were satisfactory, since the lipid oxidation was delayed and the quality of the product was maintained for 20 days. It can be observed that the chitosan film produced in this work is a package with significant active functions and an ally in maintaining the quality of the chicken meat. It is believed that this film will also be efficient in delaying the lipid oxidation of other meat products. Further investigation are necessary to confirm this.