Biodegradable active food packaging films obtained incorporating natural compounds, offer a promising solution for reducing food spoilage and prolonging shelf life. In this study, starch-based thermoplastic biopolymer (BioPol) was functionalized with thymol and carvacrol (at concentration of 5% and 8% wt/wt) through melting and mixing processes, producing flexible and sustainable films exhibiting both antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. To assess their effectiveness, these active films were used to package Brie cheese to evaluate their potential inextending its shelf life. The resulting flexible films were subjected to physico-chemical and thermal characterization, along with evaluation of their wettability and barrier properties. The results showed that incorporating carvacrol and thymol had minimal impact on the overall film properties, with the, exception of water vapor permeability. Specifically, films containing 5% and 8% thymol exhibited a reduction in water vapor permeability by approximately 29% and 22% for biopolymer (BioPol) films containing 5% and 8% thymol, respectively, compared to the unmodified biopolymer (BioPol). The functionalized films demonstrated effective scavenging of DPPH• and ABTS•+ radicals, achieving efficiencies greater than 50% and 90%, respectively. Films containing 8% carvacrol and thymol led to a microbial growth reduction of over 99.9% against pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella typhimurium, and the spoilage bacterium Brochothrix thermosphacta, while Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed a growth reduction between 90 and 99%. Notably, when Brie cheese was wrapped in films containing 8% of the active compound, a strong antimicrobial effect (2 < R < 3) was observed against artificially inoculated pathogenic bacteria after 7 and 10 days of storage. In contrast, no antimicrobial activity was detected against lactobacilli.
Biodegradable films enriched with thymol and carvacrol with antioxidant and antibacterial properties to extend cheese shelf-life
Di Matteo, Angela;Orlo, Elena;Russo, Chiara;Lavorgna, Margherita;Isidori, Marina
2026
Abstract
Biodegradable active food packaging films obtained incorporating natural compounds, offer a promising solution for reducing food spoilage and prolonging shelf life. In this study, starch-based thermoplastic biopolymer (BioPol) was functionalized with thymol and carvacrol (at concentration of 5% and 8% wt/wt) through melting and mixing processes, producing flexible and sustainable films exhibiting both antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. To assess their effectiveness, these active films were used to package Brie cheese to evaluate their potential inextending its shelf life. The resulting flexible films were subjected to physico-chemical and thermal characterization, along with evaluation of their wettability and barrier properties. The results showed that incorporating carvacrol and thymol had minimal impact on the overall film properties, with the, exception of water vapor permeability. Specifically, films containing 5% and 8% thymol exhibited a reduction in water vapor permeability by approximately 29% and 22% for biopolymer (BioPol) films containing 5% and 8% thymol, respectively, compared to the unmodified biopolymer (BioPol). The functionalized films demonstrated effective scavenging of DPPH• and ABTS•+ radicals, achieving efficiencies greater than 50% and 90%, respectively. Films containing 8% carvacrol and thymol led to a microbial growth reduction of over 99.9% against pathogenic bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella typhimurium, and the spoilage bacterium Brochothrix thermosphacta, while Pseudomonas aeruginosa showed a growth reduction between 90 and 99%. Notably, when Brie cheese was wrapped in films containing 8% of the active compound, a strong antimicrobial effect (2 < R < 3) was observed against artificially inoculated pathogenic bacteria after 7 and 10 days of storage. In contrast, no antimicrobial activity was detected against lactobacilli.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
