Advances in Scleroproteins: Novel Edible Coatings for Food Preservation

Strategic Insights -

A new report from Central Institute of Technology has made significant breakthroughs in the development of edible coatings for preserving pork meat. The study focuses on the use of natural biopolymer-based coatings to extend shelf life and maintain quality. The researchers developed five different coatings, each containing various combinations of chitosan, gelatin, Aloe vera gel, and nanoemulsified carvacrol. These coatings demonstrated improved antimicrobial efficacy, reducing bacterial and yeast counts, and effectively slowed the formation of volatile bases-nitrogen and thiobarbituric acid.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study highlights the potential of natural biopolymer-based coatings in preserving food, specifically pork meat, stored at 4°C.
  • The addition of Aloe vera gel and nanoemulsified carvacrol significantly enhanced the antimicrobial efficacy of the coatings, reducing bacterial and yeast counts by 3-4 log CFU/g.
  • The coatings effectively slowed the formation of volatile bases-nitrogen and thiobarbituric acid, maintaining the quality of the vacuum-packed pork for up to 16 days.
  • The CH/GL/AVG/CNE-2 coated pork maintained a sensory score above 7.8 throughout the storage period, while the uncoated meat dropped below 5.
  • The study concluded that the CH/GL/AVG/CNE-2 coating extended the shelf life of vacuum-packaged pork by 6 days in refrigerated conditions.

Statistics:

  • The coatings reduced mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria counts by 3-4 log CFU/g in the CH/GL/AVG/CNE-2 and CH/GL/AVG/CNE-5 coated samples.
  • The coatings slowed the formation of volatile bases-nitrogen (TVB-N) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) migrations, maintaining quality for up to 16 days in the CH/GL/AVG/CNE-2 coated samples.
  • The CH/GL/AVG/CNE-2 coated pork maintained a sensory score above 7.8 throughout the storage period.
  • The shelf life extension of the CH/GL/AVG/CNE-2 coating was 6 days in refrigerated conditions.

Sources:

  • Future Foods, 2025,11():100607.
  • Central Institute of Technology, Department of Food Engineering and Technology, Kokrajhar, Kokrajhar, Assam, 783370, India.
  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fufo.2025.100607
  • Authors: Sweety Kalita, Santosh Kumar, Joydeep Dutta, Avik Mukherjee.
  • Publisher: Elsevier.