Recent Advances in Developing Biological Membranes and Their Applications in Food Quality Improvement

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Packaging and Preservation".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 July 2023) | Viewed by 5293

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
Interests: food packaging; smart packaging; biodegradable plastics; biopolymers; active packaging; bio-nanocomposite films
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Guest Editor
School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia
Interests: membranes; nanotechnology; water and wastewater treatment; nano/microplastics; functional materials

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Food contamination have become a major global concern. The main significant issue that today’s word is facing is food spoilage and wastage which is directly correlated to inadequate food packaging. According to the recent report issued by the US Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), around 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted annually, leading to $940 billion in global economic losses ("Food waste costs global economy $940 billion," 2019). Biological membranes have become a focal point of research recently for developing environmentally friendly solutions for food quality improvement. For instance, a biodegradable active food packaging system may contain natural anti-browning agents, nutrients, colourants, antioxidants and antimicrobial compounds, or nanomaterials that enhance the quality, safety, and shelf life of products and reduce the possibility of bacterial growth. 

This special issue on “Recent Advances in Developing Biological Membranes and Their Applications in Food Quality Improvement” attempts to showcase the latest methods and advances in synthesising biological membranes and their applications in food quality improvement. I cordially invite the researchers to submit their latest findings as original research papers, systematic reviews, and review articles to "Foods".

This Research Topic calls for papers focusing on the following topics:

  • Recyclable and eco-friendly food packaging materials.
  • Incorporation of functional ingredients, antioxidants, and antimicrobial compounds from plants and their by-products to enhance the properties of bioactive membranes used for food packaging and water/wastewater treatment.
  • Incorporation of green synthesised nanomaterials in biopolymer to improve the mechanical, optical, and physio-chemical properties of packaging.
  • Developing smart/intelligent packaging.

Dr. Shima Jafarzadeh
Dr. Masoumeh Zargar
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Foods is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 3751 KiB  
Article
Encapsulation of Orange Peel Oil in Biopolymeric Nanocomposites to Control Its Release under Different Conditions
by Sanaz Ghasemi, Elham Assadpour, Mohammad Saeed Kharazmi, Shima Jafarzadeh, Masoumeh Zargar and Seid Mahdi Jafari
Foods 2023, 12(4), 831; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12040831 - 15 Feb 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2088
Abstract
Orange peel oil (OPO) is one of the most common flavorings used in the food industry, but it is volatile under environmental conditions (the presence of light, oxygen, humidity, and high temperatures). Encapsulation by biopolymer nanocomposites is a suitable and novel strategy to [...] Read more.
Orange peel oil (OPO) is one of the most common flavorings used in the food industry, but it is volatile under environmental conditions (the presence of light, oxygen, humidity, and high temperatures). Encapsulation by biopolymer nanocomposites is a suitable and novel strategy to improve the bioavailability and stability of OPO and its controlled release. In this study, we investigated the release profile of OPO from freeze-dried optimized nanocomposite powders as a function of pH (3, 7, 11) and temperature (30, 60, and 90 °C), and within a simulated salivary system. Finally, its release kinetics modelling was performed using experimental models. The encapsulation efficiency of OPO within the powders, along with the morphology and size of the particles, were also evaluated by an atomic force microscopy (AFM) analysis. The results showed that the encapsulation efficiency was in the range of 70–88%, and the nanoscale size of the particles was confirmed by AFM. The release profile showed that the lowest and the highest release rates were observed at the temperatures of 30 and 90 °C and in the pH values of 3 and 11, respectively, for all three samples. The Higuchi model provided the best model fitting of the experimental data for the OPO release of all the samples. In general, the OPO encapsulates prepared in this study showed promising characteristics for food flavoring applications. These results suggest that the encapsulation of OPO may be useful for controlling its flavor release under different conditions and during cooking. Full article
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14 pages, 2438 KiB  
Article
Physicochemical, Thermal, and Morphological Properties of Chitosan Nanoparticles Produced by Ionic Gelation
by Elham Alehosseini, Hoda Shahiri Tabarestani, Mohammad Saeed Kharazmi and Seid Mahdi Jafari
Foods 2022, 11(23), 3841; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11233841 - 28 Nov 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2553
Abstract
Chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) can be widely used in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic sectors due to their high performance, unique properties, and high surface area. In this research, CSNPs were produced by the ionic gelation method and using sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) as an [...] Read more.
Chitosan nanoparticles (CSNPs) can be widely used in the food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic sectors due to their high performance, unique properties, and high surface area. In this research, CSNPs were produced by the ionic gelation method and using sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) as an appropriate technique compared to the conventional methods. To evaluate the effects of various factors on the size, zeta potential (ZP), and optimal synthesis conditions, different concentrations of CS (1, 3, and 5 mg/mL), STPP (0.5, 0.75, and 1 mg/mL), and CS to STPP ratio (1:1, 3:1, and 5:1) were applied and optimized using the response surface methodology. The size of CSNPs was increased by using higher concentrations of CS, STPP, and CS/STPP ratios. The value of ZP was determined positive and it increased with increasing CS concentrations and CS/STPP ratios. ATR-FTIR spectra revealed interactions between CS and STPP. The DSC thermogram of CSNPs showed a double sharp endothermic peak at about 74.5 °C (ΔH = 122.00 J/g); further, the TGA thermograms indicated the total weight loss of STPP, CS, and CSNPs as nearly 3.30%, 63.60%, and 52.00%, respectively. The XRD data also revealed a greater chain alignment in the CSNPs. Optimized, the CSNPs can be used as promising carriers for bioactive compounds where they also act as efficient stabilizers in Pickering emulsions. Full article
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