Ação do óleo essencial de gengibre (Zingiber officinale) encapsulado em fibras ultrafinas de proteína isolada de soja, poli (óxido de etileno) e zeína no controle antimicrobiano in situ

Abstract

The growth control of pathogenic and deteriorating microorganisms is important in the food industry. This control can preserve the quality of the product and / or guarantee the food safety Several essential oils have been reported for its high antimicrobial activity and,can be applied in active antimicrobial food packaging when encapsulated in fibers. Active packaging interacts with food to ensure the quality and safety during the food shelf life. The objective of this study was to produce and characterize ultrafine fibers from soy protein isolate, poly (ethylene oxide) and zein, with different concentrations of ginger essential oil (GEO (Zingiber Officinale Roscoe), by electrospinning, as well as apply the fibers in the packaging of Minas Frescal cheese for the control of Listeria monocytogenes. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated against five bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli 01571H7, Salmonella Typhimurium and Pseudomonas aeruginosa). The OEG, in different concentrations (0, 3, 6, 9 and 12%, v/v) was encapsulated in ultrafine fibers using a polymer blend of soy protein isolate, poly (ethylene oxide) and zein in a ratio of 1 : 1: 1 (v/v/v) by electrospinning. The ultrafine fibers were evaluated for its morphology, thermal properties, functional groups, relative crystallinity and micro-atmosphere antimicrobial activity. The fiber selected for application in situ (fresh Minas cheese) against L. monocytogenes by preliminary tests of the antimicrobial analysis was the fiber with 12% of GEO. The GEO presented yield of 3.7% on wet basis, and showed antimicrobial activity against all bacteria under test. The ultrafine fibers produced, regardless of the concentration of the encapsulated GEO, presented homogeneous morphology without beads. The addition of GEO slightly altered the thermal properties of the fibers and decreased relative crystallinity. Ultrafine fibers encapsulated OEG were effective in Listeria monocytogenes control in fresh Minas cheese by micro-atmosphere during refrigerated storage of 12 days, demonstrating great potential to be applied in active food packaging.