Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
This work describes the development of a sustainable and natural coating solution based on iota-carrageenan
and rosemary extract intended to preserve cooked ham through dipping. Upon comparing the physical and
microbial load changes between this solution and the traditional plastic wrap along 15 consecutive days, the
results showed that in terms of microbial load the samples treated with the developed solution had a lower
microbial count. Furthermore, only slight changes in moisture loss and hardness were observed between samples
using the two tested preservation strategies. Colour analysis revealed that dipped samples presented reduced
lightness, with a tendency to avoid shifting to a blue tone over the 15-days of storage. This work indicates that
natural polymers combined with natural antimicrobials and antioxidants can be employed to reduce the dependence
on synthetic polymers and offer feasible solutions to be applied at an industrial level.
Description
Keywords
Biopolymers Ham preservation Microbial growth Physicochemical parameters
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Carocho, Marcio; Heleno, Sandrina; Rodrigues, Paula; Barreiro, M. Filomena; Barros, Lillian; Ferreira, Isabel C.F.R. (2019). A novel natural coating for food preservation: Effectiveness on microbial growth and physicochemical parameters. LWT. ISSN 0023-6438. 104, p. 76-83