Antimicrobial efficacy of carvacrol loaded antimicrobial packaging in food systems: influence of the food matrix

Antimicrobial packaging (AP) can be considered as a promising technology that is helpful to improve food quality and safety in the food supply chain. The indirect-contact AP is effective in retarding the growth of microorganisms by releasing the incorporated volatile antimicrobials to the headspace of the package through which the antimicrobials diffused to the surface of foods.

During food storage, both the composition and microstructure of the food matrix are relevant for antimicrobial compounds absorption and diffusion in foods. Understanding the influences of the food matrix on the efficacy of a volatile antimicrobial compound is important in the antimicrobial packaging design, which is largely ignored in previous studies. Hence, this thesis aimed to link the physical-chemical properties of model/real foods to the partitioning of volatile antimicrobials in a food-package, and in this way, contribute to an efficient design of antimicrobial packaging for specific foods.