Antimicrobial Food Packaging Design: Exploring the potential of allyl isothiocyanate release from mustard seeds

Summary:

The shelf life of foods can be extended by antimicrobial packaging, leading to a reduction of food waste. Nur Alim Bahmid explored the potential of using a biological mechanism for this purpose. In his research mustard seeds were used to design antimicrobial packaging to prolong the shelf life of foods. These seeds can produce and release a strong antimicrobial compound, allyl isothiocyanate (ATIC), He found that the characteristics of ground mustard seed particles, storage condition, and food components are important factors to obtain sufficiently high AITC concentrations for optimal inhibition of spoilage bacteria. He also highlights that by this in-situ antimicrobial formation new opportunities arrise to effectively inhibit microbial growth and prolong the food shelf life by a controlled release system. To optimize the antimicrobial effectiveness of the packaging, kinetic models were developed to describe the mechanism of mass transfer and reaction of AITC. The study gives an insight into the application of a natural antimicrobial source as a sustainable concept to reduce global food waste.