Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development
Agri-food: ENEA antimicrobial packaging extends shelf-life of strawberries
A study conducted by ENEA, in collaboration with the University of Tuscia and the company ILIP, aimed at promoting food safety and quality, reducing the environmental impact of the distribution chain and enhancing the value of Italian agri-food products, showed that packaging made with essential oils and other natural substances can keep Favette strawberries fresh for up to 12 days. The study was published in the international journals Frontiers in Microbiology, Journal of Microbiological Methods and the MDPI.
Native to Latium and included in the national list of traditional agricultural products, the Favette strawberry is an Italian excellence for its high levels of bioactive compounds, phenols and micronutrients. However, its high perishability limits its distribution and storage along the supply chain.
To counter the strawberrys sensitivity to foodborne pathogens, researchers conducted advanced analyses, selecting quality and safety markers to assess the effectiveness of strategies combining natural antimicrobial compounds like chitosan, nisin and gallium. The collaboration with the IBA Institute in Bucharest allowed to chemically characterize the new packaging to ensure the safety of materials for fruit and vegetable use and their compliance with EU regulations.
In addition to extending the shelf-life of Favette strawberries to 12 days, the research demonstrated the bactericidal effectiveness of essential oils combined with probiotics and postbiotics. In fact, microbiological analysis showed a significantly higher bacterial and fungal load in untreated strawberry samples.
“The project is a significant step toward creating sustainable and safe packaging, contributing to valorizing Italian agricultural products,” said ENEA contact person for the project Annamaria Bevivino, research director of the Sustainable Agri-Food Systems Division of the Productive and Territorial Systems Department of Sustainability, Circularity and Climate Change Adaptation.
“Moreover” she continued,”the adoption of biodegradable and compostable packaging reduces environmental impact, improves product preservation and enhances product quality, guaranteeing consumers fresh and nutritious strawberries for a longer period of time.
The activity was conducted as part of a PhD with the University of Tuscia and an ENEA research grant sponsored by the OnFoods partnership [1] , funded by the PNRR and in which ENEA also participates [2].
The research results were presented in the Microorganism interface - Innovative processes section of the international conference EFFoST 2024, held in Belgium last November. The value of the studies was also recognized at a presentation by Valeria Poscente, research fellow at the ENEA Sustainable Agri-Food Systems division, as part of the “Seeds of Innovation: SPVA PhD Research Symposium” held in Viterbo last February. For her presentation, the ENEA research fellow received a special mention for effective communication and technology transfer of the research activities.
Laboratory bench with nine trays arranged in three rows of three 250g trays of fresh strawberries, each row relating to a different antimicrobial packaging. The picture shows only three of the six total experimental conditions after 10 days of refrigerated storage. The first three trays and the last three related to the different treatments show the presence of some molds developed during storage. The middle three trays related to the combined treatment with chitosan, nisin and carvacol show strawberries that maintained better color and texture and did not develop molds. The values obtained from the microbiological analysis confirm the ability of the combined treatment to prolong the shelf-life.
Laboratory bench with eighteen 250g trays of fresh strawberries arranged in six rows of three equal trays to represent the different antimicrobial packaging designed by ENEA compared with the nonfunctionalized control. The packaging consists of conventional plastic trays containing a thin mat of absorbent material (absorbent PADs) treated with antimicrobial agents like chitosan, nisin and essential oils at different concentrations to inhibit the growth of bacteria and fungi. These treatments aim to reduce contamination and extend shelf life. The picture shows the trays that underwent microbiological analysis after three days of refrigerated storage. The three middle trays on the right are related to the combined treatment with chitosan, nisin and carvacol, and the values obtained from the microbiological analysis already show promise in the capability of the combined ENEA treatment in extending the shelf-life after only three days, although no visible changes are noticeable yet.
For further study.
Notes
[1] ON Foods project “Rete di ricerca e innovazione sulla sostenibilità, la sicurezza e la protezione degli alimenti e della nutrizione – Lavorando sul Cibo”, Missione 4 “Istruzione e Ricerca,” Componente 2 “Dalla ricerca all’impresa” (Codice progetto PE00000003, CUP I83C22001790001, Investimento 1.3 creazione di “Partenariati estesi a università, centri di ricerca, aziende per il finanziamento di progetti di ricerca di base
[2] ON Foods project - Spoke 2 “Smart and circular food system and distribution”, coordinated by the CNR, and Spoke 3 “Food safety of traditional and novel foods”, coordinated by the University of Bari.