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Polymers
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Polymers in Food Sciences
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Polymers in Food Sciences

A special issue of Polymers (ISSN 2073-4360). This special issue belongs to the section "Polymer Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 9607

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Mario Ščetar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food Engineering, Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, 10 000 Zagreb, Croatia
Interests: food packaging; shelf life; packaging sustainability; active food packaging; antimicrobial coatings; biomaterials; edible biomaterials; nanomaterials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, more and more serious assessment of the safety of polymeric materials intended for general use or in contact with food and drinking water remains a serious challenge. With the addition of a very small amount of additives to polymers, it is necessary to study the characteristics, migrations and potential toxicological effects of indirect additives on human health. Based on this scientific research, it is necessary to make recommendations and legal regulations for their further safe production and use as a food packaging materials.

Certainly in the end it should be known that the use of polymers obtained from natural sources is still effective for longer storage of food and thus causes a reduction in the shelf life of these products. Proper disposal and recycling of polymeric materials used for food packaging can certainly reduce environmental pollution.

Polymers Special Issue Polymers in Food Sciences accepts scientific articles on the following topics:

  • polymers molecular structures;
  • polymers physical chemical properties and functions;
  • packaging material science and applications;
  • polymeric package systems analysis, modified atmosphere packaging, aseptic food packaging, microwavable food packaging;
  • polymers as active and intelligent packaging;
  • polymers with nanoparticles;
  • biobased polymers;
  • polymer packaging and the environment;
  • regulatory aspects of polymeric food packaging.

Prof. Dr. Mario Ščetar
Guest Editor

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. Polymers 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 2700 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.

Keywords

  • food packaging polymers
  • barrier characteristic
  • shelf life
  • active packaging
  • intelligent packaging
  • biobased packaging
  • nano polymers

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4195 KiB  
Article
Development and Characterization of Biocomposite Films Based on Polysaccharides Derived from Okra Plant Waste for Food Packaging Application
by Ibukunoluwa Fola Olawuyi and Won Young Lee
Polymers 2022, 14(22), 4884; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14224884 - 12 Nov 2022
Cited by 15 | Viewed by 3031
Abstract
Polysaccharide-based composite films were developed using mucilage polysaccharides (OLP) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) extracted from okra leafstalk wastes. The rheological properties of biocomposite OLP/CMC film-forming solutions were characterized using the Power-law model, and fabricated films were characterized for their potential food packaging applications. [...] Read more.
Polysaccharide-based composite films were developed using mucilage polysaccharides (OLP) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) extracted from okra leafstalk wastes. The rheological properties of biocomposite OLP/CMC film-forming solutions were characterized using the Power-law model, and fabricated films were characterized for their potential food packaging applications. OLP/CMC solutions exhibited pseudo-plastic fluid characteristics and differences in rheological behavior (n, 0.478–0.743), and flow consistency (K, 1.731–9.154) with increasing content of OLP (5 to 30 % w/w of CMC) were associated with variations in the physical, mechanical, and barrier properties of films. Surface hydrophobicity (24%) increased and oxygen (39%) and water vapor (32%) permeability reduced in OLP/CMC films containing up to 10% OLP. Moreover, a higher content of OLP enhanced the antioxidant activity and thermal stability of OLP/CMC films. Subsequently, OLP/CMC was applied as a coating to preserve cherry tomatoes for 14 days at 30 °C. Quality deterioration characterized by high weight loss (22%), firmness loss (74.62%), and discoloration (∆E, 21.26) occurred in uncoated tomatoes and were within unusable/unmarketable limits based on their visual quality score. In contrast, OLP/CMC effectively minimized quality losses, and coated tomatoes exceeded the limit of marketability after 14 days of storage. This study successfully applied value-added polysaccharides derived from okra plant residues for edible food packaging. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers in Food Sciences)
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16 pages, 439 KiB  
Article
The Effect of Application of Chicken Gelatin on Reducing the Weight Loss of Beef Sirloin after Thawing
by Jakub Martinek, Robert Gál, Pavel Mokrejs, Kristýna Sucháčková, Jana Pavlačkova and Alena Kalendová
Polymers 2022, 14(15), 3094; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14153094 - 29 Jul 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2014
Abstract
Freezing is one of the oldest and most-often-used traditional methods to prolong the shelf life of meat. However, the negative phenomenon of this process is the weight loss of water that occurs after the meat is thawed. Together with the water that escapes [...] Read more.
Freezing is one of the oldest and most-often-used traditional methods to prolong the shelf life of meat. However, the negative phenomenon of this process is the weight loss of water that occurs after the meat is thawed. Together with the water that escapes from the meat during thawing, there are large weight losses in this valuable raw material. Another negative aspect is that mineral and extractive substances, vitamins, etc. also leave the meat, resulting in irreversible nutritional losses of nutrients in the meat, which are subsequently missing for use by the consumer of the meat. The main goal of this work is to reduce these losses by using gelatin coatings. Gelatin was prepared from chicken paws according to a patented biotechnological procedure, which uses the very gentle principle of obtaining gelatin with the usage of enzymes. This unique method is friendly to the environment and innocuous for the product itself. At the same time, it ensures that the required principles achieve a circular economy with the use of the so far very-little-used slaughter byproducts, which in most parts of the world end up in uneconomic disposal by burning or landfilling without using this unique potential source of nutrients. Gelatin coatings on the surface of the beef steak were created by immersing the meat in a solution based on gelatin of different composition. A coating containing 3%, 5% or 8% gelatin with 10% or 20% glycerol (by weight of gelatin) and 1% glutaraldehyde crosslinker (by weight of gelatin) has proved to be effective. The amount of glutaraldehyde added to the coating is guaranteed not to exceed the permitted EU/U.S. legislative limits. In addition to weight loss, meat pH, color and texture were also measured. Freezing was done in two ways; some samples were frozen at a normal freezing temperature of −18 °C and the other part of the experiment at deep (shock) freezing at −80 °C. Defrosting took place in two ways, in the refrigerator and in the microwave oven, in order to use the common defrosting methods used in gastronomy. A positive effect of this coating on weight loss was observed for each group of samples. The most pronounced effect of coating was found for the least gentle method of freezing (−18 °C) and thawing (microwave), with the average weight loss of the coated samples differing by more than 2% from that of the uncoated sample. No negative effect of the coating was observed for other meat properties tested, such as pH, Warner-Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF) or color. Gelatin-based coating has a positive effect on reducing the weight loss of meat after thawing. Chicken gelatin prepared by a biotechnological process has a new application in improving the quality of meat due to the retention of water and nutrients in frozen and subsequently thawed beef, which can contribute to the better quality of the subsequently gastronomically prepared dish, while maintaining the weight and nutritional quality. This also results in economic savings in the preparation of highly-valued parts of beef. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers in Food Sciences)
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16 pages, 1463 KiB  
Article
Mixed Biopolymer Systems Based on Bovine and Caprine Caseins, Yeast β-Glucan, and Maltodextrin for Microencapsulating Lutein Dispersed in Emulsified Lipid Carriers
by Adela Mora-Gutierrez, Sixto A. Marquez, Rahmat Attaie, Maryuri T. Núñez de González, Yoonsung Jung, Selamawit Woldesenbet and Mahta Moussavi
Polymers 2022, 14(13), 2600; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14132600 - 27 Jun 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1613
Abstract
Lutein is an important antioxidant that quenches free radicals. The stability of lutein and hence compatibility for food fortification is a big challenge to the food industry. Encapsulation can be designed to protect lutein from the adverse environment (air, heat, light, pH). In [...] Read more.
Lutein is an important antioxidant that quenches free radicals. The stability of lutein and hence compatibility for food fortification is a big challenge to the food industry. Encapsulation can be designed to protect lutein from the adverse environment (air, heat, light, pH). In this study, we determined the impact of mixed biopolymer systems based on bovine and caprine caseins, yeast β-glucan, and maltodextrin as wall systems for microencapsulating lutein dispersed in emulsified lipid carriers by spray drying. The performance of these wall systems at oil/water interfaces is a key factor affecting the encapsulation of lutein. The highest encapsulation efficiency (97.7%) was achieved from the lutein microcapsules prepared with the mixed biopolymer system of caprine αs1-II casein, yeast β-glucan, and maltodextrin. Casein type and storage time affected the stability of lutein. The stability of lutein was the highest (64.57%) in lutein microcapsules prepared with the mixed biopolymer system of caprine αs1-II casein, yeast β-glucan, and maltodextrin, whereas lutein microcapsules prepared with the biopolymer system of bovine casein, yeast β-glucan, and maltodextrin had the lowest (56.01%). The stability of lutein in the lutein microcapsules dramatically decreased during storage time. The antioxidant activity of lutein in the lutein microcapsules was closely associated with the lutein concentration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers in Food Sciences)
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14 pages, 36980 KiB  
Article
Effect of Ultrasound Treatment on Barrier Changes of Polymers before and after Exposure to Food Simulants
by Mario Ščetar, Davor Daniloski, Mirela Tinjić, Mia Kurek and Kata Galić
Polymers 2022, 14(5), 990; https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14050990 - 28 Feb 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1969
Abstract
In this study, we investigated the impact of ultrasound treatment on barrier properties of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and acrylic/poly(vinylidene chloride) polypropylene (PPAcPVDC)-coated pouches intended for food packaging before and after exposure to food simulants. Packaging pouches were filled with two food simulants, [...] Read more.
In this study, we investigated the impact of ultrasound treatment on barrier properties of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and acrylic/poly(vinylidene chloride) polypropylene (PPAcPVDC)-coated pouches intended for food packaging before and after exposure to food simulants. Packaging pouches were filled with two food simulants, namely ethanol (10% (v/v)) and acetic acid (3% (w/v)), in order to simulate food–packaging interaction and possible compound migration from packaging materials. Samples were subjected to an ultrasound water bath treatment for 5 min, 15 min, and 30 min at 60 °C (±2 °C) and with an amplitude of 100% as an equivalent to the heat-treatment conditions combined with an ultrasound effect. Furthermore, the effect of temperature on the polymer barrier (water vapour and oxygen permeability) properties was tested at 20 °C, 40 °C, and 60 °C. Results showed that PPAcPVDC possessed better properties of water vapour permeability and oxygen permeability properties to LLDPE. Statistical analyses showed a significant (p < 0.001) impact of ultrasound treatment on the overall migration value, regardless of the food simulant used. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers in Food Sciences)
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