title: Application of Lemongrass Oil-Containing Polylactic Acid Films to the Packaging of Pork Sausages.
abstract: Polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable and renewable polymer, which represents a valuable alternative to plastic packaging films, often associated with environmental problems. In this study, we tested the suitability of PLA as a biodegradable packaging film and assessed the antimicrobial activity of lemongrass oil (LO), incorporated into the PLA film in different concentrations. To obtain the optimal physical properties for PLA films, tensile strength, elongation at break, and water vapor permeability were measured under different preparation conditions. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of the LO contained in the PLA film against Listeria monocytogenes was investigated by disc diffusion and viable cell count. Among all concentrations tested, 2% LO was the most suitable in terms of antimicrobial activity and physical properties of the PLA film. Based on these results, we used the PLA film containing 2% LO to pack pork sausages; after 12 d of storage at 4℃, the population of inoculated L. monocytogenes in the sausage samples wrapped with the PLA film containing 2% LO was reduced by 1.47 Log CFU/g compared with the control samples. Our data indicate that PLA films containing 2% LO represent a valuable means for antimicrobial sausage packaging.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun-Ju
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung Bin
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Song
keywords: Listeria monocytogenes; lemongrass oil; polylactic acid; sausage