The ability of oxygen scavenging packaging to inhibit vitamin degradation and lipid oxidation in fish oil-in-water emulsions

Increased pressure by consumers to remove food additives requires innovative solutions to maintain the shelf life of foods and minimize food waste. Active packaging that reduces oxygen to levels low enough to inhibit oxidative spoilage could provide a potential 'clean label' solution to food additives since the antioxidant technology is provided by the packaging system. Oxygen scavenging packaging described in this work reduced packaged oxygen by >98% under a variety of conditions expected in foods and inhibited lipid oxidation of fish oil-in-water emulsions. The impact of this work could improve food quality and extend shelf life for oxidatively susceptible O/W emulsions. In addition, oxygen scavenging active packaging greatly decreased the degradation of essential vitamins suggesting that it could improve the nutritional quality of foods.