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The antimicrobial and antioxidant potential of zein and zein-wax composite films having different release profiles for lysozyme and mixture of lysozyme, catechin and gallic acid were tested on cold-stored fresh Kashar cheese inoculated with Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 7644. All lysozyme containing films prevented the increase of L. monocytogenes counts in Kashar cheese for 8 weeks at 4°C, but it was only the zein-wax composite films with sustained lysozyme-release rates which caused a significant reduction (- 0.4 decimals) in initial microbial load of inoculated cheese samples. The mixture of catechin and gallic acid improved the in vitro antimicrobial effect of films against L. monocytogenes, but showed no considerable antimicrobial effect in cheese. However, the films containing catechin and gallic acid were effective in preventing oxidative changes in cheese. This study showed the possibility of increasing safety and quality of fresh cheeses by use of active packaging employing natural antimicrobial compounds and controlled release technology. Industrial relevance There has been a growing interest to develop the functional properties of packaging materials and to obtain packed foods with better shelf-life and quality. Active packaging incorporating antimicrobials is one of the most promising areas since application of this method can improve safety of foods by inhibiting pathogenic bacteria or controlling spoilage flora by using minimum amounts of active compounds. Recently, health concerns of consumers and environmental problems related to plastics increased the popularity of using natural antimicrobial substances in edible films and coatings. This work employs a GRAS status natural antimicrobial lysozyme and zein a major by-product of rapidly growing oil and bioethanol industries which can form self-standing films, coatings or casings. The results of this study showed the possibility of using flexible antimicrobial and antioxidant films with controlled release properties in diary industry., Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (108M353)

To develop edible films having controlled release properties for multiple bioactive compounds, hydrophobicity and morphology of zein films were modified by blending zein with oleic (C18:1)Δ9, linoleic (C18:2)Δ9,12, or lauric (C12) acids in the presence of lecithin. The blend zein films showed 2-8.5- and 1.6-2.9-fold lower initial release rates for the model active compounds, lysozyme (LYS) and (+)-catechin (CAT), than the zein control films, respectively. The change of fatty acid chain length affected both CAT and LYS release rates while the change of fatty acid double bond number affected only the CAT release rate. The film morphologies suggested that the blend films owe their controlled release properties mainly to the microspheres formed within their matrix and encapsulation of active compounds. The blend films showed antilisterial activity and antioxidant activity up to 81 μmol Trolox/cm2. The controlled release of multiple bioactive compounds from a single film showed the possibility of combining application of active and bioactive packaging technologies and improving not only safety and quality but also health benefits of packed food., Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (108M353)

In this study, antimicrobial films were developed against Campylobacter jejuni by incorporation of gallic acid (GA) into zein-based films. The zein and zein-wax composite films containing GA between 2.5 and 10 mg/cm 2 were effective on different C. jejuni strains in a concentration-dependent manner. Zein and zein-wax composite films showed different release profiles in distilled water but quite similar release profiles at solid agar medium. Depending on incorporated GA concentration, 60-80% of GA released from the films, while the remaining GA was bound or trapped by film matrix. The GA at 2.5 and 5 mg/cm 2 caused a considerable increase in elongation (57-280%) of all zein films and eliminated their classical flexibility problems. The zein-wax composite films were less flexible than zein films, but the films showed similar tensile strengths and Young's modulus. Scanning electron microscopy indicated different morphologies of zein and zein-wax composite films. This study clearly showed the good potential of zein and GA to develop flexible antimicrobial films against C. jejuni., TÜBİTAk (108M353)