Effect of kafirin-based films incorporating citral and quercetin on storage of fresh chicken fillets

Abstract

This study investigated mechanical and bioactive properties of kafirin films consisting of 2.5% citral (CK), 2% quercetin (QK) or 1.25% citral + 1% quercetin (CQK). Incorporation of citral reduced the maximum stress (σmax) and stiffness, accompanied by an increase in the strain at break (εb), and yield stress (σy) of the films. Compared to the plain kafirin films (PK) and QK, citral–containing films showed significant antimicrobial activity (p < 0.05) against the total viable count on chicken fillets stored at 2 ± 0.5 °C for 96 h. The final thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were lower for PK, CQK, and QK (0.18, 0.16 and 0.23 mg MDA/kg respectively), compared to unwrapped fillet..