Yunxia Yang,Yonggan Zhuo,Chuangda Zhu,Hongmei Zhang,Yanqing Wang
Traditional ice is usually employed to preserve food freshness and extend shelf life. However, ice cannot bear repeated freeze − thaw cycles during the transportation and retailing process, resulting in microbial cross-contamination and spoilage of foods. Herein, succinoglycan riclin was oxidated (RO) and crosslinked with gelatin (Ge), the Ge-RO cryogels were prepared via Schiff base reaction and three freeze − thaw cycles. The Ge-RO cryogels showed improved storage modulus (G′) and thermal stability compared with pure gelatin hydrogel. The polymer framework of Ge-RO gels exhibited stable properties against ice crystals destructions during nine freeze − thaw treatments. During the storage and repeated freeze − thaw treatments of shrimps, Ge-RO cryogels exhibited a remarkable preservation effect on shrimps, and their freshness was evaluated using an electronic nose technique equipped with ten sensors. The results demonstrated that the shrimp muscle preserved in ice generated off-odors and resulted in high sensor responses. The sensor responses were reduced sharply of shrimps preserved in cryogels. Moreover, 1 H NMR-based metabolomics analysis revealed that shrimps in Ge-RO cryogels group reversed the metabolic perturbations compared with the traditional ice group, the metabolic pathways were related to energy metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, and amino acid metabolism, which provide new clues to the freshness of shrimps. Furthermore, RO exhibited superior antimicrobial activity against E. coli and S. aureus microorganisms. Thus, the crosslinked cryogels are potentially applicable to food preservation, offering sustainable and reusable solutions against traditional ice.
Food freshness monitoring is vital to ensure food safety. Recently, packaging materials incorporating pH-sensitive films have been employed to monitor the freshness of food products in real time. The film-forming matrix of the pH-sensitive film is essential to maintain the desired physicochemical functions of the packaging. Conventional film-forming matrices, such as polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), have drawbacks of low water resistance, poor mechanical properties, and weak antioxidant ability. In this study, we successfully synthesise PVA/riclin (P/R) biodegradable polymer films to overcome these limitations. The films feature riclin, an agrobacterium -derived exopolysaccharide . The uniformly dispersed riclin conferred outstanding antioxidant activity to the PVA film and significantly improved its tensile strength and barrier properties by forming hydrogen bonds . Purple sweet potato anthocyanin (PSPA) was used as a pH indicator. The intelligent film with added PSPA provided robust surveillance of volatile ammonia and changed its color within 30 s in the pH range of 2–12. This multifunctional colorimetric film also engendered discernible color changes when the quality of shrimp deteriorated, demonstrating its great potential as an intelligent packaging material to monitor food freshness.