Quality and Shelf-Life Stability of Pork Meat Fillets Packaged in Multilayer Polylactide Films

Abstract

In the present study, the effectiveness of a multilayer film of polylactide (PLA), fully bio-based and compostable, was ascertained to develop a novel sustainable packaging solution for the preservation of fresh pork meat. To this end, the multilayer PLA films were first characterized in terms of their thermal characteristics, structure, mechanical performance, permeance to water and aroma vapors and oxygen, and optical properties and, for the first time, compared with two commercial high-barrier multilayer packaging films. Thereafter, the multilayers were thermosealed to package fillets of fresh pork meat and the physicochemical changes, lipid oxidation levels, and microbiological counts were monitored in the food samples during storage under refrigeration conditions. Results showed that the meat fillets packaged in PLA developed a redder color and showed certain indications of dehydration and oxidation, being more noticeably after 11 days of storage, due to the higher water vapor and oxygen permeance values of the biopolymer multilayer. However, the pH changes and bacterial growth in the cold-stored fresh pork meat samples were minimal and very similar in the three tested multilayer films, successfully accomplishing the requirements of the food quality and safety standards at the end of storage.

Active Starch-Polyester Bilayer Films with Surface-Incorporated Ferulic Acid

“…Thus, a global improvement of the barrier capacity to water vapor and oxygen of the material was obtained with the bilayer assembly. Likewise, the aroma barrier capacity of the bilayers, evaluated through the limonene permeability, was lower than that of pure PLA films [ 3 , 39 ] but higher than the values reported for cassava starch films [ 40 ].…”

“…WVP was calculated from the slope of the weight loss vs., time curves, as described by other authors [ 26 ]. The same procedure was used to analyze the limonene permeability; 5 mL of D-limonene was placed inside the Payne permeability cups and they were stored in a chamber at 25 °C and 53% RH to determine the weight loss vs. time curves, as described in previous study [ 3 ]. Three replicates per formulation were performed.…”

“…In general, polar biopolymers, such as starch, have a good barrier capacity to oxygen and gases but have a low barrier capacity to water vapor and a high sensitivity of their properties to moisture [ 1 ]. In contrast, non-polar biopolymers, such as polyesters (e.g., PLA), have good mechanical strength and low gas barrier capacity but good water vapor barrier properties [ 2 , 3 ]. Different strategies have been used to adapt the biopolymer properties to the packaging purposes, such as the use of polymer blends with compatibilizers [ 2 ], the incorporation of reinforcing agents, such as cellulose particles or clays [ 4 ], or obtaining laminates by combining polymers with complementary properties [ 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

Effect of food shelf life on food quality

“…One of the efforts to get the best food ingredients is also in the storage process. It aims to extend shelf life and provide consumers with safer products using different materials and technologies (Hernández-Garcıá, Vargas, & Torres-Giner, 2022;Jam, Khan, Zaidi, & Muzaffar, 2011). The reason is that in the storing process, a very striking weight loss and changes in the content of pigments or dyes in the tissue can happen.…”

Shelf-Life Evaluation of Pork Loins as Influenced by the Application of Different Antimicrobial Interventions

“…Studies have shown that pork has a shorter shelf life than other type of meats. Fresh pork can only be preserved for up to six days with an adequate hygienic and temperature control [ 20 , 21 ]. Shelf life can be related to sensory characteristics of a product such as odor, flavor, and color.…”