ABSTRACT
A comparative study on the use of biodegradable films for fresh cut meat packaging is presented. Beef steaks were packaged using three different films: polyvinyl chloride (PVC), which is actually used to package this food product, a biodegradable polymeric film composed of starch and polyester and a biodegradable film composed of a mixture of three biodegradable polyesters. The packaged beef steaks were stored at 4 and 15 °C to simulate actual storage conditions and thermal abuse, respectively. Colour, total viable counts as well as spoilage microorganism counts were monitored over a period of 6 days. No substantial differences were observed among the beef steaks packaged using the three investigated films, suggesting that biodegradable films, such as those used in this investigation, could be advantageously used to replace PVC films in packaging of fresh processed meat, reducing in this way the environmental impact of polymeric films.
