Antioxidant packaging with encapsulated green tea for fresh minced meat

- Packaging based on green tea extract (GTE) was developed.
- Green tea entrapped by inorganic capsules was incorporated into melted material.
- Shelf life extension of fresh minced meat was measured and achieved.
- Migration of antioxidants from the materials was studied by UHPLC-MS/TQ.

A novel approach to incorporate green tea extract into polyethylene by extrusion technology has been studied. Green tea entrapped by inorganic capsules was incorporated into melted material and extruded without compromising its quality. The shelf-life of fresh meat from two types of active packaging was significantly extended for 3 days compared to blank samples. Significant difference was observed after 9th day of study in case of results of CIE L*a*b*, MetMb and organoleptic assay. Migration study of antioxidants from the materials was also performed by UHPLC-MS/TQ using food simulants. Amount of migrated catechins was in the range between 6.3 ± 3.3 and 228.4 ± 15.2 μg/kg (ratio 6:1). Regression coefficients (R) between 0.9925 and 0.9989 were obtained. Minimum LOD (0.001 μg/g) and LOQ (0.004 μg/g) were obtained for epicatechin gallate and catechin gallate while maximum LOD (0.057 μg/g) and LOQ (0.191 μg/g) were obtained for catechin.