Caracterização do potencial de filmes de PVC dopado com óleo essencial de alecrim para o controle microambiental em embalagens de alimentos

Abstract

The packaging prolong the food life and preserve the product quality. New technologies investments further contribute to the quality and food safety increasing, emphasizing the antimicrobial substances use in packaging, because further the physical barrier, they extend the product shelf life. The essential oil of rosemary becomes one of the viable alternatives for use in packaging. PVC (polyvinyl chloride) is widely used as casing, and it is common to find them commercially, like packaging kinds of various perishable food. The aim of this study was to evaluate the action of PVC-based films, doped with rosemary essential oil in concentrations of 30%, 40% and 50%, under the shelf life of sliced and refrigerated ham. The films antimicrobial activity was evaluated by the adapted disc diffusion technique in agar, against important pathogens such as Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 27664, Salmonella spp. ATCC 13076, Candida albicans ATCC 90028 and Aspergillus niger ATCC 6275. The analyzes for the shelf life study were performed by the Standard Plate Count technique over 12 times (0 h, 30 min, 1h, 2h, 4h, 8h, 12h, 24h, 48h, 72h , 96h), thus, determining the microbial growth profile. Complementary analyzes were performed on all films using the Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Gas Chromatography with Mass Detector (GC-MS) techniques. The fluorescence measurements were performed in parallel, on the ham, at the same times established for the microbiological analyzes. The achieved results showed that the films doped with 40% rosemary essential oil were the more effective in microbial growth inhibiting, compared to pure PVC and indicate that the Fluorescence Spectroscopy technique might be a complement in food microbiological control, being still necessary further studies in this direction for more conclusive information obtainment.