Physical and thermo-mechanical properties of whey protein isolate films containing antimicrobials, and their effect against spoilage flora of fresh beef

The effectiveness of antimicrobial films against beefʹs spoilage flora during storage at 5 °C and the impact of the antimicrobial agents on the mechanical and physical properties of the films were examined. Antimicrobial films were prepared by incorporating different levels of sodium lactate (NaL) and ɛ-polylysine (ɛ-PL) into sorbitol-plasticized whey protein isolate (WPI) films. The moisture uptake behavior and the water vapor permeability (WVP) were affected only by the addition of NaL at all concentrations used since an increased water uptake and permeability were observed with the addition of NaL into the protein matrix. An increase of the glass transition temperature (5–15 °C) of the sorbitol region, as determined by Dynamic Mechanical Thermal Analysis (DMTA), was caused by the addition of ɛ-PL into the WPI specimens. Instead, incorporation of NaL into the protein matrix did not alter its thermo-mechanical behavior. The addition of NaL at concentrations of 1.0% and 1.5% w/w in the film-forming solution resulted in a decline of maximum tensile strength (σmax) and Young modulus (E). A decrease of E and σmax, accompanied with an increase in elongation at break (%EB), was also observed with increasing ɛ-PL concentration, at moisture contents higher that 10% (w/w). The antimicrobial activity of the composite WPI films was tested on fresh beef cut portions. The maximum specific growth rate (μmax) of total flora (total viable count, TVC) was significantly reduced with the use of antimicrobial films made from 0.75% w/w ɛ-PL in film-forming solutions (p < 0.05), while the growth of Lactic Acid Bacteria was completely inhibited. Significant inhibition of growth of the total flora and pseudomonads was also observed with the use of films made with protein solutions containing 2.0% w/w NaL. These results pointed to the effectiveness of the antimicrobial whey protein films to extend the shelf life of fresh beef.