Extending cheese shelf-life using eco-friendly sodium alginate-gelatin films reinforced with nanoclay

Abstract

Eco-friendly antimicrobial food packaging materials are essential for extending the shelf life of food products, reducing food waste, and maintaining food quality while being biodegradable in nature. A food packaging material developed for cheese should control the moisture content, enhance antimicrobial properties and maintain the quality of cheese through storage. The current food packaging material was created by incorporating nanoclay (NC) (0.3 %, 0.5 %, and 1 % w/v) and clove essential oil (CEO) (1 % v/v) into a matrix of sodium alginate (SA) and gelatin via solvent casting for cheese (cheddar cheese) applications. The created packaging material's chemical, physical, and biological properties were evaluated. The Elongation at Break (EB) increased by 80.24%(1%NC-CEO) when compared to CEO (control). The water contact angle (WCA) film increased by 96.26% (1%NC-CEO) compared to the CEO (control) film. In addition to these characteristics, the films had enhanced barrier properties and a colour suitable for food packing. Increased antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogene, and Penicillium expansum was seen in the developed films. Importantly, the films biodegraded within 45 days. During the application trials, the CEO and NC-reported film extended the shelf-life of cheese to up to 15 days when stored at 4 °C while maintaining constant weight, pH, visual appearance, and microbiological growth inhibition. Hence, the proposed active packaging film can be employed as a biodegradable eco-friendly cheese packaging application.