EVALUATION EFFECT OF ANTIMICROBIAL NANOCELLULOSE FILM COMBINED WITH LACTOBACILLUS RHAMNOSUS POSTBIOTICS IN ACTIVE PACKAGING OF MINCED MEAT.

Minced meat (MM) has a high surface-to-volume ratio, which makes it prone to the growth of pathogenic and spoilage bacteria due to increased exposure to oxygen and high nutrient levels. In this study, postbiotics were used as a natural preservative to extend the shelf life of MM. Lyophilized postbiotics from Lactobacillus rhamnosus were incorporated into bacterial nanocellulose (BNNC) to create an antimicrobial film for packaging MM. The effectiveness of the postbiotic-embedded BNNC film against Staphylococcus aureus was tested using the disk diffusion method and the optimal postbiotic concentrations were determined using the microdilution broth method. Structural changes of the BNNC film after immersion in postbiotics were examined using scanning electron microscopy, and the attachment and chemical nature of the functional groups in the sample were confirmed using FTIR. The antimicrobial efficacy of the postbiotic-embedded BNNC film against S. aureus in MM was also tested. The results showed that BNNC with 10% (P₁₀-BNNC) and 4% (P₄-BNNC) postbiotic concentrations were the optimal films, as confirmed by SEM and FTIR. The P-BNNC films significantly reduced the number of S. aureus during storage of MM for 9 days at 4°C. In conclusion, BNNC can serve as a suitable carrier for creating antimicrobial films using postbiotics derived from LAB for food packaging applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]