Recent advances in the development of smart, active, and bioactive biodegradable biopolymer-based films containing betalains.

Betalains are natural nitrogenous water-soluble pigments found in species belonging to the Caryophyllales order and in mushrooms. Betalains can be considered multifunctional molecules due to their diverse bioactivities such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, anticancer, and anti-inflammatory. Furthermore, they can detect pH variations in foods and are considered promising colorimetric bioindicators. The bioactivities of betalains have improved their use as active and bioactive agents, and colorimetric indicators in the development of edible and biodegradable films for foods, which are trends in the food packaging market. Thus, this review presents the state-of-art information on the use of betalains as a multifunctional molecule in the development of smart, active, and bioactive edible and biodegradable packaging for foods. Studies have revealed that betalains can be successfully used to develop: smart films to indicate the freshness and spoilage of foods such as shrimp, fish, and chicken; active films with antimicrobial and antioxidant potentials to increase the shelf life of sausage and shrimp; and bioactive films with health benefits.

Chitosan and gelatin materials incorporated with phenolic extracts of grape seed and jabuticaba peel: Rheological, physicochemical, antioxidant, antimicrobial and barrier properties.

In this study, chitosan and gelatin materials incorporated with grape seed (Vitis vinifera L.) (VSE) and jabuticaba peel (Plinia cauliflora) (PPE) extracts were developed with potential application as food coatings. It was evaluated how the concentration of the extracts and their addition order in the polymeric matrix affect its properties. Samples with VSE presented a higher total phenolic content and also a more elastic behavior than samples with PPE. The addition order effect over viscosity was the opposite for the extracts, and for the samples with VSE a lower viscosity was obtained when the extract was added before gelatin. All samples were hydrophilic, a good result for application as coatings. Films with PPE were less soluble than chitosan/gelatin film, and CG5P sample was chosen as the most suitable for the desired application, due to its lower water vapor permeation value. The microbial permeation test showed that all samples avoid microorganism growth, extending shelf life of food. The results of this study revealed the extracts concentration was the main factor which influenced the studied parameters; however, their addition order had significant importance on rheological and barrier properties, the ones most influenced by the availability of extract compounds in the polymeric system.