New cinnamon-based active paper packaging against Rhizopusstolonifer food spoilage.

A new active paper package based on the incorporation of cinnamon essential oil to solid wax paraffin as an active coating is proposed, developed, and evaluated. The antifungal activity of the active paper is tested against Rhizopusstolonifer, and the results demonstrate that 6% (w/w) of the essential oil in the active coating formulation completely inhibits the growth of R. stolonifer, whereas 4% still has strong antimicrobial activity in in vitro conditions. Then, active paper is evaluated with actual food, sliced bread, using different storage times. After 3 days of storage, almost complete inhibition is obtained with 6% cinnamon essential oil. Qualitative analysis by solid-phase microextraction and determination of cinnamaldehyde in the sliced bread were also performed and confirmed the strong correspondence between the inhibition of the mold and the amount of cinnamaldehyde in the bread.

[1]  J. Warmington,et al.  The mode of antimicrobial action of the essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree oil) , 2000, Journal of applied microbiology.

[2]  Y. Weng,et al.  Anhydrides as antimycotic agents added to polyethylene films for food packaging , 1993 .

[3]  M. Friedman,et al.  Cinnamaldehyde content in foods determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. , 2000, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[4]  Naresh Magan,et al.  Early detection and differentiation of spoilage of bakery products , 2005 .

[5]  H. Alakomi,et al.  Characterization of the action of selected essential oil components on gram-negative bacteria , 1998 .

[6]  S. C. Chang,et al.  Antibacterial activity of leaf essential oils and their constituents from Cinnamomum osmophloeum. , 2001, Journal of ethnopharmacology.

[7]  Frank Devlieghere,et al.  Developments in the active packaging of foods , 1999 .

[8]  P. Nielsen,et al.  Inhibition of fungal growth on bread by volatile components from spices and herbs, and the possible application in active packaging, with special emphasis on mustard essential oil. , 2000, International journal of food microbiology.

[9]  S. R. Sridhar,et al.  Antifungal activity of some essential oils. , 2003, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[10]  P. López,et al.  Solid- and vapor-phase antimicrobial activities of six essential oils: susceptibility of selected foodborne bacterial and fungal strains. , 2005, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[11]  Cristina Nerín,et al.  The use of natural essential oils as antimicrobial solutions in paper packaging. Part II , 2007 .

[12]  P. López,et al.  Vapor-phase activities of cinnamon, thyme, and oregano essential oils and key constituents against foodborne microorganisms. , 2007, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[13]  G. Evrendilek,et al.  Chemical compositions and antibacterial effects of essential oils of Turkish oregano (Origanum minutiflorum), bay laurel (Laurus nobilis), Spanish lavender (Lavandula stoechas L.), and fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) on common foodborne pathogens. , 2004, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry.

[14]  C. Wei,et al.  Antibacterial activity of some essential oil components against five foodborne pathogens , 1995 .

[15]  P. Nielsen,et al.  Inhibition of fungal growth on wheat and rye bread by modified atmosphere packaging and active packaging using volatile mustard essential oil , 2005 .

[16]  Stephen W. Bigger,et al.  Active Packaging Technologies with an Emphasis on Antimicrobial Packaging and its Applications , 2003 .