Effects of ZnO nanoparticle‐coated packaging film on pork meat quality during cold storage

BACKGROUND There has been limited research on the use of ZnO nanoparticle‐coated film for the quality preservation of pork meat under low temperature. In the present study, ZnO nanoparticles were mixed with sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC‐Na) to form a nanocomposite film, to investigate the effect of ZnO nanoparticle‐coated film on pork meat quality and the growth of bacteria during storage under low temperature. RESULTS When ZnO nanoparticle‐coated film was used as the packaging material for pork meat for 14 days of cold storage at 4 °C, the results demonstrated a significant effect on restricting the increases in total volatile basic nitrogen and pH levels, limiting the decreases of lightness (increased L* value) and redness (increased a* value), and maintaining the water‐holding capacity compared to the control pork samples (P < 0.05). The present study also discovered that the ZnO nanoparticle‐coated film restrained the increase in total plate count (TPC). When Staphylococcus aureus was used as the representative strain, scanning electron microscopy revealed that ZnO nanoparticles increased the occurrence of cell membrane rupture under cold conditions. CONCLUSION ZnO nanoparticle‐coated film helps retain the quality of pork meat during cold storage by increasing the occurrence of microorganism injury. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry