Application of an Antimicrobial Protein Film in Beef Patties Packaging

This study was performed to apply a protein film containing a natural antimicrobial compound to meat packaging and determine quality change of meat during storage. Proteins obtained from the by-products of food processing have been utilized as biodegradable film sources. Porcine meat and bone meal (MBM) is obtained during meat processing, and proteins from the MBM can be extracted and used as a film base material. Previously, an antimicrobial MBM film containing coriander oil (CO) was prepared and its physical properties and antimicrobial activity were characterized. In this study, the antimicrobial MBM-CO film was applied to beef patties packaging, and the microbial population and the degree of lipid oxidation were determined during storage at 4°C for 15 d. The population of inoculated E. coli O157:H7 in the samples wrapped with the MBM-CO film was 6.78 log colony forming unit (CFU)/g after 15 d of storage, whereas the control had 8.05 Log CFU/g, thus reducing the microbial population by 1.29 Log CFU/g. In addition, retardation of lipid oxidation in the patties was observed during storage for the samples packaged by the MBM-CO film, compared with the control samples. These results suggest that the MBM-CO film can be useful for enhancing the quality of beef patties during storage.