Nanomaterials for Food Applications by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780128141311
Publisher: Elsevier Science
Published: 2018-11-19T05:26:25+00:00

8.3.2.2. Oxygen Scavenging Packaging

The presence of oxygen affects quality attributes, such as freshness, color, and organoleptic properties, of oxygen-sensitive foodstuffs. Direct oxidation reactions cause the browning of fruits and the rancidity of vegetable oils, whereas indirectly it also contributes to food deterioration by aerobic microorganisms (Hatzigrigoriou and Papaspyrides, 2011). Therefore, to preserve these products, oxygen has to be excluded from the headspace of the package.

Vacuum is widely applied to eliminate O2 prior to packaging sealing, but this does not avoid the presence of oxygen that permeates from the external environment into the package through the packaging material. An alternative for reducing O2 concentration inside the food packaging is the use of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). However, with both systems it is impossible to avoid the presence of residual oxygen that is often sufficient to decrease food quality. This problem can be resolved by using oxygen scavengers, packaging films, or devices capable of reacting chemically with oxygen and removing it from the packaging environment, protecting the products against detrimental oxygen effects.

An optimal oxygen scavenger will depend on the O2 trapped in the food, O2 level in the headspace, and the material packaging permeability. In addition to being able to absorb a large amount of oxygen, the scavenger must be harmless to the human body and be economical.

Diverse oxygen scavengers have been commercialized for use in the food-packaging industry incorporated in sachets, plastic films, labels, plastic trays, and bottle crowns. Most of them are based on the metallic iron oxidation mechanism that is described by the following reactions:

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