Production of packaging for fish based on bionanocomposites (xanthan from Xanthomonas campestris/alginate/montmorillonite) and aqueous extract of oregano (Origanum vulgare L.)
(-active packaging; bioplastics; mechanical barrier; nanobiocomposites; nanocarriers.)
[As the concern for health and the environment has expanded worldwide, the population's eating habits have also changed and, consequently, the food industry seeks to minimize the use of synthetic additives at all stages of the production chain, including in films of packaging, replacing them with natural actives. However, when compared to conventional polymers, the barrier and mechanical properties of bioplastics are relatively inferior, although they can be improved by the incorporation of nanomaterials, in addition to compounds with pharmacological activities. Thus, the objective of the present project is to obtain an active packaging for the conservation of Vila Franca shrimp fillets, kept in refrigeration (15 days), from the addition of montmorillonite (MML) to the combination of xanthan polysaccharide (obtained from the aerobic cultivation of a strain of Xanthomonas campestris) with sodium alginate and different concentrations of aqueous extract of oregano leaves. The active packages will be prepared in bags with a capacity of about 20 g of shrimp fillets (without exoskeleton and head), and their efficiency will be evaluated from the moisture content, water solubility, thickness and permeability to water vapor, as well as the analysis of the antioxidant and microbiological profile of the shrimp samples in comparison with other controls (kept in polyethylene packages under the same storage conditions).]