Impact of Bioactive Absorbent Membranes on Spoilage Indicators and Shelf-Life of Refrigerated Meat

Introduction - Active packaging systems incorporating natural bioactive compounds have emerged as a promising strategy to control microbial growth and delay spoilage in fresh meat products. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of cellulose-based absorbent pads enriched with grape stem extract (GSE) on microbial growth and spoilage indicators of refrigerated poultry meat.

Methods - Grape stem extract (GSE) was obtained by ultrasound-assisted extraction (4 g/20 mL, ethanol:water 50:50, 15 min, 25 °C), followed by solvent removal and freeze-drying. Absorbent pads were produced from microcrystalline cellulose using a NaOH/glycerol system, resulting in final cellulose, NaOH, and glycerol concentrations of 5, 8, and 0.5 g/100 g, respectively. The pads were enriched with GSE by surface application (0.5 g/pad), followed by storage at 4 °C for 24 h and subsequently washed to remove non-incorporated extract residues. Chicken breast samples (≈20 g) were packaged in plastic trays with pads (with and without extract), sealed with film, and stored at 4 °C for 9 days. Spoilage was monitored through pH, total aerobic mesophilic counts, and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) analyses.

Results and Discussion - GSE-enriched pads reduced spoilage development during storage, resulting in lower TVB-N values at day 9 (20.26 vs. 29.07 mg/100 g) and a lower pH (5.99 vs. 6.22) than cellulose pads. While no significant differences were observed in mesophilic counts at the end of storage, the reduced accumulation of volatile nitrogen compounds suggests that grape stem phenolics delayed spoilage-related biochemical changes in poultry meat.

Conclusions – The incorporation of grape stem extract into cellulose-based absorbent pads contributed to delaying spoilage of refrigerated poultry meat. These findings demonstrate the potential of agro-industrial by-products as functional ingredients in sustainable active packaging systems.