Reducing Oxidation of Foods Through Antioxidant Active Packaging Based on Ethyl Vinyl Alcohol and Natural Flavonoids

The development of antioxidant active packaging systems is attracting considerable attention as one of the preferred emerging technologies for reducing the incidence of lipid peroxidation. This work presents the use of ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer films containing two natural flavonoids, catechin and quercetin, to reduce the oxidation of food. In a series of experiments, these materials showed their ability to reduce the presence of hydroxyl radicals in the package headspace. Packaging fried peanuts in bags manufactured with these active films resulted in a large reduction in the presence of hexanal, a compound produced during peroxidation of the unsaturated fat in peanuts. The results indicated that the materials actively reduced the presence of radical oxidative species although the antioxidants are not released into the food. On exposing sunflower oil to the films, the peroxide values obtained showed that the films actively protected the oil; because of the higher solubility of quercetin in this food product as well as the higher antioxidant capacity, the samples containing this flavonoid were more efficient. Industrial relevance: Active packaging is receiving considerable attention as an emerging technology that can be used to improve the quality and the stability of food, reducing the direct addition of chemicals and the need for changes in formulation. The results of this study show that it is possible to reduce food oxidation without adding antioxidants to the food. The films obtained can be used to protect any type of food, including dry or fatty products. Copyright (c) 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.