Application of Polypropylene-Based Nanocomposite Films for Sliced Turkish Pastrami under Vacuum/Modified Atmosphere Packaging: A Pilot Study

Gülsüm Erol Ayas,Zehra Ayhan,Donatella Duraccio,Sossio Cimmino,Clara Silvestre

doi:10.3390/coatings10111125

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of polypropylene (PP)-based nanomaterials with improved barrier properties by nanoclay and antimicrobial properties by poly-beta-pinene (PβP) on the quality and shelf life of sliced pastrami as an alternative to the commercial multilayered materials. Sliced pastrami was packaged using nanocomposite films with and w/o PβP, and multilayered material under air, modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) and vacuum. Packaged products were screened for microbiological, physicochemical and sensory quality at 4 °C for 6 months. Salmonella spp., Clostridium perfringens and coagulase positive Staphylococus aureus were not detected in the products during entire storage. No yeast and mold growth occurred for entire storage using antimicrobial nanocomposite and multilayer material under vacuum. The antimicrobial effect of PβP on the pastrami was higher under vacuum compared to MAP applications suggesting that direct contact of the material is required with the food surface. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) of pastrami under vacuum were lower than those of MAP applications. The initial carbonyl content of the product was determined as 3.38 nmol/mg and a slight increase was observed during storage period for all applications. The shelf life of pastrami is suggested as 150 days using PβP containing nanomaterials under vacuum, which is longer than the shelf life of a commercial product on the market using multilayer materials.

Highlights

Turkish pastrami is a traditional, highly seasoned and air-dried-cured product made of beef.The final quality of the product is related to the quality of raw material, in particular initial pH and microbial loads
The antimicrobial effect of PβP on the pastrami was determined to be higher under vacuum than the other applications suggesting direct contact of the material with the food surface
Is an immobilized antimicrobial agent and not diffusing from the material, and there would be direct contact of the material needed for an antibacterial effect

Summary

Introduction

Turkish pastrami is a traditional, highly seasoned and air-dried-cured product made of beef.The final quality of the product is related to the quality of raw material, in particular initial pH and microbial loads. Whole pastrami is generally sold unpackaged at the retailer, the products is sliced for ready to eat purposes and needs high barrier packaging materials to fulfill the expected shelf life. Food packaging is one of the areas where nanotechnology could improve the quality and safety of food, reduce the use of valuable raw materials and the generation of packaging waste [2,3,4]. Packaging performances such as gas, moisture, ultraviolet (UV) and volatile barriers, mechanical strength, heat resistance and flame retardancy and weight could be improved by nanotechnology [2,5]

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