Carvacrol Release Kinetics from Cellulose Acetate Films and Its Antibacterial Effect on the Shelf Life of Cooked Ham

Antibacterial films of the cellulose acetate (CA) and carvacrol were investigated regarding the migration to fat like food simulants and the impact on the shelf life of the sliced cooked ham vacuum. Mathematical models described the bacterial growth in ham and the carvacrol release kinetics. The carvacrol antimicrobial activity against two food-borne spoilage bacteria was demonstrated. Carvacrol showed minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of 293 and 194 & mu;g/mL for Weisella viridescens and Pseudomonas fluorescens, respectively, and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of 488 & mu;g/mL for both bacteria. The active CA-films with 5 and 10% carvacrol were used for bacterial inhibition and shelf life extension on the ham. Applying CA-film with 10% carvacrol decreased the growth rate and the final maximum population, increasing the latency phase of W. viridescens. It increased the ham shelf life by 10 days. The carvacrol migration demonstrated that obtaining films with long-acting and slow release to a food matrix is possible. In food fluids simulations, the migration was faster, with diffusion coefficients between 10-13 and 10-15 m2/s. The results demonstrate the CA-film with carvacrol as a potential active packaging to increase the shelf life of complex food matrix.