Improve Shelf Life Research Articles

Basil essential oil-incorporated bacterial nanocellulose foam: Fabrication, characterization, and application in extending ground beef shelf life

Bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) is a sustainable antimicrobial material for food packaging. To enhance its antimicrobial properties, basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) essential oil (BEO) was incorporated into the BNC porous foam. A spray method was used with low BEO concentrations (1 and 2 μL/cm2) based on foam surface to optimize BEO usage while maintaining its antimicrobial effectiveness. BNC was synthesized using Komagataeibacter xylinus. The minimum inhibitory concentrations were 128 and 64 μg/mL for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Listeria monocytogenes, respectively, demonstrating greater sensitivity of Gram-positive bacteria compared to Gram-negative bacteria. The use of BEO in spray form increased the antimicrobial and antioxidant activities (as measured by DPPH and ABTS methods) of foams. The absorption bands related to BEO in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis of the BNC-BEO foam confirmed the incorporation of BEO into the BNC foam. Impregnation with BEO at 1 and 2 μL/cm2 significantly increased the water contact angle to 31.62° and 33.19°, respectively, thereby enhancing the hydrophobicity of the foam, but reduced the mechanical strength of the BNC-BEO foams. Foams were used in active packaging of ground beef to improve shelf life by controlling microbial and oxidative processes. The BNC-BEO foam showed a slower microbial growth rate, with bacterial populations about 1–2 log₁₀ CFU/g lower than control. Meat samples packaged with BNC-BEO foams scored higher in terms of taste and odor. A significantly lower amount of BEO was used in the foam form of BNC, which is favorable for improving sensory parameters. Therefore, BNC-BEO can be applied to the active packaging of meat.

A-132 Next generation ammonia reagent with improved reagent composition and assay performance

Abstract Background Ammonia is produced by catabolism of protein and other compounds which contain nitrogen. Elevated ammonia levels are toxic for the central nervous system. High plasma ammonia is a prognostic factor for hepatic and kidney disease or inherited metabolic disorders in urea cycle metabolism. The reliable and accurate quantification of ammonia is influenced by assay, reagent, and sample management. Current commercially available GLDH enzyme-based ammonia assay reagents experience high bias between matched Lithium Heparin and K2-EDTA samples, poor accuracy, imprecision at the low end, large HIL (hemolysis, icterus and lipemia) interferences and shorter shelf life. To improve upon the listed deficiencies, we developed an improved GLDH based ammonia assay in a two-part format with improved reagent composition. Methods Ammonia reagent in 2-part format R1 and R2 were assessed for accuracy, precision, interference by HIL reportable range, sensitivity (LoB, LoD, LoQ), shelf life, matched matrix comparison (Lithium Heparin vs K2-EDTA) and method comparison. All testing were performed using Li Heparin plasma samples in Beckman DxC700AU analyzer. Accuracy was tested using Verichem ammonia standards which are ACS ammonia standard material. Twenty-day precision studies were performed using three levels of ammonia concentrations using Bio-Rad Liquichek Ammonia controls and plasma samples. Interference was tested in two ammonia concentrations (40-50 µmol/L) and (200-250 µmol/L) using commercially available spiking material for clinical chemistry assays such as conjugated and unconjugated bilirubin, Intralipid and in-house prepared hemolysate. Infinity Ammonia Reagent on Beckman Coulter AU Chemistry Analyzers was used for method comparison studies Results Next generation ammonia showed good accuracy with Verichem ammonia standards and acceptable within-run and total precision. Studies showed significant improvement in sensitivity and longer shelf life (>18 months). Next generation ammonia is less affected by interferences from icterus (100 mg/dL), lipemia (1000 mg/dL intralipid) and hemolysis (100 mg/dL). Comparison studies show no significant bias between match Lithium Heparin and K2-EDTA matched samples. Conclusions Next Generation Ammonia reagent showed very good overall performance required for reliable and accurate quantification of ammonia in human plasma sample.

Role of bacterial exopolysaccharides in edible films for food safety and sustainability. Current trends and future perspectives

Bacterial biopolymers are changing the concepts in the food industry as customer demands the addition of no artificial additives and want products “Clean labelled.” Exopolysaccharides (EPS) produced by some bacterial strains are the best replacements for these artificial additives. The monomeric composition, quality, quantity, structure, molecular weight, and charge on these bioparticles decide the qualities, that is, rheology, texture, shelf life, and physiochemical properties of the product. Exopolysaccharides are the best biothickeners and are being widely used in the food industry. They are widely used as coatings and edible films in food substances, especially fruits and vegetables. These consist of substances that are Generally Recognized as Safe. These coatings and edible films promise improved shelf life and better nutritional properties and act as a protective barrier for food items. Bacterial EPS are widely used in edible films, yogurt-like and plant-based beverages, the meat industry, and fermented low-fat meat, sourdoughs, and low-fat cheese. It interacts with other components and improves the texture, stabilization, viscosity, and mouthfeel of end products. The structural and functional properties of these substances still need to be explored. The main objective of this review is to focus on the importance of EPS produced by various strains, its structure and uses as edible coatings and films, functionality, and applications in various food products. Overall, the future of bacterial EPS in the food industry appears promising, with avenues for innovation and application across multiple facets of food production, including texture modification, nutritional enhancement, and sustainability.

Assessment of lyophilized microencapsulated multi strain probiotic for improved shelf life and stability

A Multi species Probiotics (MSP) of calf gut origin was encapsulated either with chitosan (ECMSP) or without chitosan (EMSP). Further, the probiotic was encapsulated and lyophilized (ELMSP) using three types of cryoprotectant solutions sucrose (ELMSP(S)), skim milk (ELMSP(SM)) and sucrose + skim milk combination (ELMSP (SSM)). The encapsulation yield was good and ranged from 75 % to 80 % for MSP products. These MSP products were stored at refrigeration temperature (4 °C), deep freeze and room temperature for 12 weeks. The shelf life (mean CFU) of encapsulated microcapsules was significantly better (P < 0.001) at the refrigeration temperature (9.44 Log10 CFU/g) than deep freeze (7.42 Log10 CFU/g) and room temperature (6.67 Log10 CFU/g). At the end of the 12 weeks storage period, EMSP maintained 25.1 %, 49.6 % and 32.6 % viable counts at room temperature, refrigeration and deep freeze condition respectively. For the lyophilized-encapsulated MSP, the mean probiotic counts of ELMSP(S) and ELMSP (SSM) were significantly (P < 0.001) higher (9.62 Log10 CFU/g) than those of ELMSP(SM) ((9.36 Log10 CFU/g) at room temperature. At refrigeration temperature, the mean probiotic counts for ELMSP (SSM. (10.1 Log10 CFU/g)) were significantly higher (P < 0.001) than ELMSP(S, (9.97 Log10 CFU/g) and ELMSP(SM, (9.86 Log10 CFU/g). Further, a 12 weeks storage study for ELMSP (SSM) showed that the microcapsules stored at refrigeration temperature (4°C) showed only 6.4 % drop in viability which was significantly lower (P < 0.001) than that of room temperature showing 15.3 % drop and deep freeze storage with 17.1 % drop in viability. It was appreciable that even at room temperature; there was only one log drop in the viability of MSP showing that it can be comfortably stored at room temperature for longer periods at field level.

The importance of application of medicinal plants and natural products in poultry health management

Application of herbs and natural medicines have shown to have no negative side effects, with high effectiveness to improve productivity. Usage of medicinal plants can increase gut function, improve hepatic function, inhibition of prooxidant enzymes, enhance antioxidant content, improve shelf life, enhance sensorial value, better nutritive value, improve both health and consumers preference, enhance calcium and other minerals, increase vitamin B and folate, and enhance immunity. The most important medicinal plants with antiparasitic activities are green tea, guar bean, pine bark, grape seed, barberry root bark, Rangoon creeper, olive tree, and wormwood. Some other important medicinal plants in poultry industry are black pepper, nettle, shrubby sophora, Aleppo oak, garlic, red cedar, ginger, mint, tobacco, turmeric, aloe vera, etc. The application of herbal medicines can be considered as an important alternative to treating parasitic infections. In organic broiler production with application of medicinal plants, decreasing hormones, growth promoters and antibiotics should be considered as well as paying more attention to selection of appropriate organic feed management with considering higher production. This article aims to survey on the importance of application of natural products and medicinal plants in poultry industry by considering secondary metabolites such as triterpenoids, coumarins, alkaloids, tannins, and flavonoids due to their anti-inflammatory, antiparasitic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and astringent properties.

Spider web-reinforced chitosan/starch biopolymer for active biodegradable food packaging

In this study, starch (ST), chitosan (CH), spider silk (SW), and their hybrid composite bioplastics were fabricated and examined for physicochemical and mechanical properties. The essential oils (EOs) of Rosmarinus officinalis were encapsulated to enhance their biological application. The prepared composite films were characterized using various spectroscopic techniques such as XRD, SEM, GCMS–, UV–VIS, TGA, and FTIR spectroscopy. The antimicrobial activity of the prepared film was tested against S. aureus bacterial and C. albican fungal strains which showed a greater zone of inhibition for the composite film encapsulated with EOs. The biodegradability of the synthesized film was evaluated for 60 days in soil under laboratory conditions. The composite film containing spider web and essential oil significantly improved mechanical properties. The physicochemical results, such as moisture, solubility, swelling, transmittance, opacity, and water vapor permeability, of the prepared bioplastic were comparable with those of the control plastic. The EO-based film had greater antioxidant activity against DPPH, hydrogen peroxide, and phosphomolybdenum assays, with an inhibition range of 60–70 %. The addition of spider web and essential oil to the chitosan/ starch film significantly increased the shelf life of injera and tomatoes for 7 and 10 days, respectively for the EO-based film. The biodegradability of the synthesized film has shown a great reduction in the weight and growth of microorganisms. In general, the CH/ST/SW and CH/ST/SW/EOs composite films have greater mechanical, biological, physicochemical, and potential improvement of food shelf life applied as either coating or packaging material.

Sericin-Chitosan-Aloe vera Composite Coating for the Postharvest Shelf-Life Improvement of Strawberries

Sericin-Chitosan-Aloe vera Composite Coating for the Postharvest Shelf-Life Improvement of Strawberries

Development and characterization of bilayer chitosan/alginate cling film reinforced with essential oil based nanocomposite for red meat preservation

With a goal to finding suitable alternatives to plastic packaging in the food industry, we developed a multifunctional bio-based active packaging film to enhance the shelf life of red meat. A chitosan/alginate (Chi + Alg) bilayer film was developed through layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly and an active material i.e. lemongrass nanoemulsion with silver nanoparticles-based nanocomposite (NC1) was loaded into the alginate layer to improve the quality of the bio-based film (Chi + Alg + NC1). The Chi + Alg + NC1 film was characterized in terms of its microstructure, mechanical strength, thermal stability, and antimicrobial activity. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed a film (22.5 ± 1.44 μm thickness) with a smooth and even surface and a cross-sectional structure. The incorporation of NC1 improves the quality of the film by enhancing its mechanical strength and thermal stability. FT-IR spectra showed the successful interaction between chitosan and alginate in the LBL assembly and the incorporation of NC1 in the alginate layer. The red meat preservation test demonstrated that the shelf life improved when the meat was covered with the fabricated bio-based film. The color of the meat was retained for up to 7 days compared to that of the control (Chi alone and Chi + Alg). Additionally, a reduction in the microbial count in the Chi + Alg + NC1 film was observed, corroborating the shelf-life improvement. In addition to its inherent antimicrobial properties, NC1 induced hydrophilic properties to the film, which further aids in its antimicrobial activity against E. coli. These findings suggest that Chi + Alg + NC1 film could be a potent alternative to plastic packaging and can be used as a cling film to prolong the shelf life of red meat.

Postharvest Application of Different Coatings to Improve the Quality and Storage Stability of Papaya Fruit (Carica papaya L.) Cv. Red Lady

The Present investigation was carried out on title “Study on different post-harvest treatment for improving shelf life and quality of Papaya fruit (Carica papaya L.) cv. Red lady”. The Experiment was conducted in a Completely Randomized Design with 10 treatments viz. T0-Control, T1- Ethrel 500 ppm, T2- Ethrel 700 ppm, T3- Aloevera gel 1.0%, T4- Aloevera gel 1.5%, T5- Corn Starch 1.0%, T6- Corn Starch 1.5%, T7- Cassava Starch 1.0%, T8- Cassava Starch 1.5%, T9- (Corn Starch 1.5% + Cassava Starch 1.5%) and their three replications, during the year 2023. Aloevera gel 1.5% treated fruits showed the better results followed by the Aloevera gel 1.0%. This coating reduced the transpiration rate and slowed down the ethylene production and formed a layer on the surface of papaya fruits which helped in protection from microorganisms, fungus resulting in the increase in shelf life of fruits and storage quality. The Papaya fruits treated with Corn Starch 1.5% was also found to be significantly good treatments over the Control in respect of storage quality and shelf life of Papaya fruits during the storage. Based on the results obtained, it can be concluded that Aloevera gel 1.5% was found to be most appropriate treatment in papaya cv. Red Lady. Therefore, it can be used in Papaya cv. Red Lady for physiochemical traits ie., Physiological loss in weight, Decay percent, Fruit Firmness, Sensory Evaluation, Visual Appearance, TSS.

Improvement of margarine shelf-life using alginate-chitosan coated multiple W/O/W nanoemulsions containing sesamol and retinol

Alginate-chitosan (Alg-CH) coated multiple water-in-oil-in-water (W/O/W) nanoemulsion loaded with sesamol and retinol was hypothesized to enhance the oxidative stability of margarine. Total phenol content (TPC), antioxidant activity, acid value (AV), peroxide value (PV), para-anisidine value (pAV), induction period (IP), and residual values of sesamol and retinol by HPLC were determined for 90 days. Margarine with tert-butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) (T3) had the higher TPC and antioxidant activity (8.05 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g), 53.1 %) than T1 (nanoemulsion, 7.39 mg GAE/g, 38.95 %), T2 (free-sesamol and -retinol, 6.98 mg GAE/g, 31.07 %), and T4 (no antioxidant, 6.46 mg GAE/g, and 14.45 %) while T1 had higher antioxidant activity and TPC than T2 and T4 after 90 days. On day 90, the highest residual values of sesamol (200.10 mg/100 g) and retinol (118.09 μg/100 g) obtained for T1. Overall, T1 contributed to the prolonged oxidative stability of margarine, potentially offering an alternative to synthetic antioxidants.

Varietal Response to Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on Bulb Yield, Storability, and Production Economics of Onion (Allium cepa L.)

The field experiment was conducted in the Rabi season of 2021-22 in the research farm of the Regional Research Center, Raiya (Jhajjar) of Maharana Pratap Horticultural University, Karnal, Haryana to examine the impact of organic manures and inorganic fertilizers on the growth, bulb yield and self-life of two indigenous onion varieties was examined. The treatment combinations comprised seven treatments along with one control that was arranged in a randomized block design (factorial) with four replications and two varieties namely Hisar Onion-2 and Hisar Onion-4. The results of the study showed that bulb yield-related parameters such as average fresh weight of bulbs (82.39 g), yield per plot (26.74 kg), and yield per hectare (29.71 t) were recorded maximum in the treatment T6. However, the better storage life of bulbs was estimated in treatment control which was at par with treatment T3 i.e., physiological loss in weight (20.23%), sprouting (3.14%), and rotting (11.43%) were observed minimum after 120 days of storage period. Hisar onion-4 was found superior in all the bulb yield and shelf-life parameters in comparison to Hisar Onion-2. Treatment consisting of 50% recommended dose of NPK + 50% RDN supplied through Vermi-compost recorded maximum net return (Rs.1, 97,942) and benefit-cost ratio (2.25). Therefore, it can be inferred that the combined use of organic manures and inorganic fertilizers contributes to the improved shelf life of onion bulbs and enhances the long-term production potential of the soil.

Applications of chitosan in the agri-food sector: A review

Chitosan is a natural and renewable polysaccharide that can form biopolymers. It is derived from the deacetylation of chitin mainly from crustaceans' shells, but also from fungi and insects. Thanks to unique characteristics such as antimicrobial effects, antioxidant properties or film forming capacities, it has triggered an important amount of research in the last decade about possible applications in industrial fields. The main application field of chitosan is the food industry where it can be used for preservation purposes and shelf-life improvement for fresh food products such as fruits or meat. For beverages, it is used for clarification and fining as well as elimination of spoilage flora in beverages like fruit juices or wine. And in agriculture, it can be used as a plant protection product through different mechanisms like the elicitation of plant defences. The mechanisms of action of chitosan on microorganisms are multiple and complex but revolve mostly around the disturbance of microorganisms’ membranes and cell walls resulting in the leakage of cell material. The use of chitosan is still minor but is promising in finding environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic chemicals and plastics. Therefore, its characterization is primordial for the future of sustainable production and preservation processes.

Arka Kalpana - A Review of Traditional and Modern Methods

Arka Kalpana is nowadays a known Kalpana among the Ayurvedic procedures. It was introduced in Ayurvedic Pharmacy in the later part of the Samhita period, which is very specific in its mode of preparation and therapeutic effect. It is a more palatable form of Ayurvedic dosage forms in comparison to Swarasa (Juice), Kalka (paste), Kwath (decoction) etc. Arka Prakash is the first Ayurvedic classical text in which various kinds of distillation Procedures and heating methods are mentioned for preparing Arka from different types of Dravya for different diseases. In this context, Arka Kalpana is given specific importance and it opines that it has more potency in comparison to the other Kalpana. Today's population is becoming more and more in demand for Arka Kalpana, which is the first choice because of its potency, lower dose, improved shelf life, ease of absorption, quick action, and patient compliance.

As assessment of shelf life increasing competence of pectin (Zucchini) based edible coating on tomatoes

The most recent advancement in food packaging research involves improving the shelf life of perishable foods by utilising bio-based resources that are edible, eco-friendly, and biodegradable. The current study investigated the effect of edible pectin coating on mature green tomatoes to improve shelf life and storage properties. Zucchini pectin was used to make edible coating. The antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of extracted pectin were investigated. The findings indicated that the extracted pectin had antimicrobial (Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Aspergillus niger) and antioxidant (34.32% at 1 mg/mL) properties.Tomatoes were immersed in pectin solutions of varying concentrations, 1, 3, and 5% (w/v). Physiological evaluations of weight loss, total sugar content, titratable acidity pH, and ascorbic acid were performed on tomatoes during their maturing stages of mature green, light red, pure red, and breaking. Coating the tomatoes with pectin (5%) resulted in minimal weight loss while increasing the retention of total sugar, ascorbic acid, and titratable acidity. The shelf life of the pectin-coated tomatoes was extended to 11 days, while the uncoated control tomatoes lasted 9 days. Thus, a 5% edible pectin solution was found to be effective in coating tomatoes. The current study suggests that using 5% pectin as an edible coating on tomatoes can delay/slow the ripening/maturing process while also extending the shelf-life of tomatoes without affecting their physiochemical properties, which is scalable on a large scale for commercial purposes.

Microencapsulation of peanut skin polyphenols for shelf life improvement of sunflower seeds.

Derived from industrial processing waste, peanut skins contain polyphenols that delay oxidative food spoilage. However, these compounds are susceptible to light, heat, and oxygen exposure. Microencapsulation provides a solution by offering protection from these factors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of peanut skin extract microcapsules on the chemical, microbiological, and sensory property and shelf life of sunflower seeds during storage. Five roasted sunflower seed samples were prepared: control (S-C); added with butylhydroxytoluene (S-BHT); coated with carboxymethyl cellulose (S-CMC); coated with CMC and the addition of peanut skin crude extract (S-CMC-CE); coated with CMC and the addition of microcapsules (S-CMC-M20). Sensory acceptability was determined using hedonic testing. Chemical (peroxide value, conjugated dienes, hexanal and nonanal content, and fatty acid profile), microbiological, and descriptive analyses were carried out on samples stored for 45 days at room temperature. Shelf life was calculated using a simple linear regression. All samples were microbiologically fit for human consumption and accepted by consumer panelists, scoring above five points on the nine-point hedonic scale. S-CMC-M20 exhibited the lowest peroxide value (6.59meqO2/kg) and hexanal content (0.4µg/g) at the end of the storage. Estimated shelf life showed that S-MC-M20 (76.3 days) extended its duration nearly ninefold compared to S-C (8.3 days) and doubled that of S-CMC-CE (37.5 days). This indicates a superior efficacy of microencapsulated extract compared to its unencapsulated form, presenting a promising natural strategy for improving the shelf life of analogous food items. PRACTICAL APPLICATION: Incorporating peanut skin extract microcapsules in coating sunflower seeds presents a promising strategy to extend the shelf life of lipid-rich foods, capitalizing on the antioxidant properties of polyphenols. This innovative approach not only enhances nutritional quality but also addresses sustainability concerns by repurposing agro-industrial byproducts, such as peanut skins. By meeting consumer demand for functional foods with added health benefits, this technique offers potential opportunities for the development of novel, value-added food products while contributing to circular economy principles and waste management efforts.

Experimental Investigation of the Drying Characteristics of Tapioca Under Solar Drying Condition

Agricultural products are subjected to one form of processing or the other, to either improve the shelf life of the products, or as a necessary condition before consumption. Solar drying is one method that helps to increase the shelf life of agricultural products. In this study, an experimental investigation of the drying characteristics of cassava chips popularly called tapioca was carried out for the purpose of improved shelf life and hygiene, under solar drying conditions in the month of December, 2023. An analysis of key parameters was conducted on the experimental data and post-processed in the Microsoft Excel environment. The results suggested that the moisture removal rate of tapioca was 0.2183 % to 6.3829% on dry mass basis, with cumulative drying time of 27hours in three days. The maximum and minimum energy values during the drying period were 15485.14kJ and 9.6243kJ, respectively. Thus, the average value obtained for solar collector efficiency varied from 6.99 % to 16.89 %. The study also established that the colour and texture of the tapioca under the drying conditions could be retained.

Drying characteristics and kinetics of bottle gourd using stand-alone indirect solar dryer

Drying food is an effective method to preserve fruits and vegetables, increasing their shelf life and preventing germination. Bottle gourds, known for their high nutritional value, can rot quickly due to their high moisture content, causing biochemical and microbial changes. To improve shelf life, moisture can be removed to prevent microbial activity. Different drying methods are used to preserve gourd family vegetables for long periods and off-season. Indirect solar drying shields foods from UV rays, dust, insects, and other contamination by avoiding direct exposure. This study aimed to utilize an indirect solar dryer to research the potential for drying bottle gourds and conduct physicochemical analyses for the dried products to compare the drying techniques. In this experiment, different samples of bottle gourd slices were dried using an indirect solar dryer and compared with sun and shade drying. Under physicochemical properties, moisture content (MC), retention of color, thickness, and shrinkage of dried samples were analyzed and compared. The result showed that the time taken to reach 10% moisture was 13 h for samples dried with sun drying. While shade and indirect solar drying took 17 h. The Midilli-Kucuk model outperforms other approaches for drying bottle gourd, with the greatest R2 values (0.9967, 0.9950, 0.9936) and the lowest RMSE values (0.0182, 0.0220, 0.0277) for direct sun, shade, and indirect solar drying, respectively. The indirect sun dryer showed good color retention compared to the fresh bottle gourd samples with L* value of 44.08, b* value of 15.40 and a* value of 7.01. The volumetric shrinkage was 97.64% in the direct sun drying method after 15 h, which is higher compared to sun and shade dryers due to the effect of time and temperature. In addition, there was a significant difference (p-value &amp;lt;0.05) between the thickness of the three drying methods. The use of indirect solar drying methods can be highly recommended to get high-quality dried food with zero energy cost. For future studies it is recommended to enhance the function and design of the indirect solar dryer to speed up drying times and improve the quality of dried samples.

Impact of antimicrobial NC-AXAc biodegradable packaging material for shelf-life extension of cherry tomatoes

Cherry tomatoes have gained immense interest due to their convenient size, delightful taste, and nutritional profile. Cherry tomatoes are highly perishable and are considered climacteric with lower shelf-life. In the present study, cherry tomatoes were packed with nanocellulose (NC)-arabinoxylan acetate (AXAc) packaging (50:50, 40:60 w/w) containing silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) as an antimicrobial agent. Further, the efficacy of AgNPs incorporated antimicrobial NC-AXAc packaging was evaluated for the post-harvest shelf-life improvement of cherry tomatoes during 15 days of storage at 25 °C (±2) and 85% RH. It was observed that NC-AXAc packaging (with and without AgNPs) were found to significantly reduce the weight loss, respiration rate, color degradation, process of fruit softening, ripening index, and enzymatic activity (PPO and POD), as compared to unpacked tomatoes and tomatoes stored with commercial biodegradable packaging during storage. Furthermore, NC-AXAc packaging (with and without AgNPs) were significantly maintained the lycopene content, organic acids, sugar content, and volatile content in stored cherry tomatoes. Moreover, tomatoes packed with AgNPs incorporated NC-AXAc (50:50, 40:60 w/w) packaging exhibited maximum inhibitory effect against total mesophilic count and Yeast/Mold count compared to unpacked and other packed tomatoes. The overall findings revealed the potential benefits of AgNPs incorporated NC-AXAc biodegradable packaging for the shelf-life extension of cherry tomatoes especially during storage and transport.

Improving the Quality of Wheat Flour Bread by a Thermophilic Xylanase with Ultra Activity and Stability Reconstructed by Ancestral Sequence and Computational-Aided Analysis.

Xylanase is an essential component used to hydrolyze the xylan in wheat flour to enhance the quality of bread. Presently, cold-activated xylanase is popularly utilized to aid in the development of dough. In this study, ancestral sequence reconstruction and molecular docking of xylanase and wheat xylan were used to enhance the activity and stability of a thermophilic xylanase. The results indicated that the ancestral enzyme TmxN3 exhibited significantly improved activity and thermal stability. The Vmax increased by 2.7 times, and the catalytic efficiency (Kcat/Km) increased by 1.7 times in comparison to TmxB. After being incubated at 100 °C for 120 min, it still retained 87.3% of its activity, and the half-life in 100 °C was 330 min, while the wild type xylanase was only 55 min. This resulted in an improved shelf life of bread, while adding TmxN3 considerably enhanced its quality with excellent volume and reduced hardness, chewiness, and gumminess. The results showed that the hardness was reduced by 55.2%, the chewiness was reduced by 40.11%, and the gumminess was reduced by 53.52%. To facilitate its industrial application, we further optimized the production conditions in a 5L bioreactor, and the xylanase activity reached 1.52 × 106 U/mL culture.

Inclusion of Antifungal and Probiotic Lactiplantibacillus plantarum Strains in Edible Alginate Coating as a Promising Strategy to Produce Probiotic Table Grapes and Exploit Biocontrol Activity

The use of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) for the probiotic enrichment of minimally processed fruit is a well-established practice in the literature. In addition, several LAB demonstrated a strain-specific ability to control harmful microorganisms and decay agents, improving shelf life, maintaining quality, and promoting the safety of fruits and vegetables. Edible coatings can help modulate the phenomena of gas exchange and water loss by fruits, representing protection from physical damage and spoilage phenomena linked to oxidation and the development of undesired microorganisms. At the same time, the coating can represent an innovative delivery matrix for the LAB strains of potential interest to improve safety and quality in the postharvest management of fruits. In this work, five Lactiplantibacillus plantarum strains, previously characterised for their probiotic and antifungal activity, were incorporated into a sodium alginate coating to develop edible probiotic coatings with antifungal properties for table grapes cv. Italia. The bacterial transfer and their survival were evaluated by comparing coated and uncoated table grapes during 14 days of cold storage at 4 °C. The alginate edible coating increased the number of viable cells transferred to the surface of the berries from about 5 to more than 7 Log CFU/g, with a crucial impact on the potential functional attributes of the final product. The ability of the functionalised coatings to counteract the decay development was evaluated on table grape berries artificially contaminated with Aspergillus niger CECT 2805. A significant reduction in lesion diameter was observed in the alginate coating with L. plantarum 11-A, with a reduction from 15.40 ± 1.14 mm of uncoated berries to 8.40 ± 1.14 mm of berries coated with L. plantarum 11-A. The lesion diameter reduction was also accompanied by a reduction in the symptoms of infection, such as browning around the wound. These results suggest the application of selected strains of L. plantarum as promising bio-resources to enhance the overall value of ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables, particularly in combination with edible coating as a carrier matrix. While a strain-dependent effect was not detected with respect to the improvement in the number of cells in the edible coating, a variability depending on the biotype used was detected for the properties linked to biocontrol, suggesting that the inclusion in edible packaging may represent an innovative criterion in the selection of lactobacilli to be applied postharvest.