Ideabrill packaging capability in the preservation of raw and cooked ham: a comparativ study

Food packaging contributes to the preservation and shelf-life of food. In literature, several studies demonstrate that active packaging, enriched of bioactive compounds like the essential oil of Rosmarinus Officinalis [1], and modified atmosphere packaging can positively influence the preservation of food. The study of new types of packaging is continuously increasing, mostly in terms of environmental impact and food preservation. In this study two types of packaging provided by Esseoquattro company were tested in order to assess their capability in the preservation of food. Ideabrill® packaging, a three layers pack of polyethylene high density layer, metallic layer and cellulose with long fiber layer, combined with Ideabrill® sacchetto salvafreschezza was compared to paper coupled with wings. The study was conducted on raw and cooked ham preserved in the packaging described above through the quantification of biogenic amines (BAs) at day 0, 3, 5 and 7. BAs can be considered markers to evaluate the freshness and the quality of food. In particular, a higher concentration of BAs is related to a higher deterioration degree of food. BAs were extracted, derivatized with dansyl chloride, purified with a SPE C-18 and then analysed with an HPLC-DAD method. This study, in combination with sensorial study, shows that Ideabrill® packaging combined with Ideabrill® sacchetto salvafreschezza showed the best conservation capability for raw and cooked ham when compared to the other one. Moreover, from an eco-friendly point of view, Ideabrill® packaging layers can be easily separated in order to encourage recycling.