A new study published by the University of Melbourne shows that new coating and packaging technology can increase the shelf life of pork.

The study, co-authored by Yu Cao, Robin Dorothy Warner, and Zhongxiang Fan and published in the international journal Food Control, was aimed at examining the effects of a combination of nisin + gallic acid + chitosan coating and high oxygen modified atmosphere packaging (HO MAP, 80% O2 and 20 percent CO2) to preserve fresh pork loin in cold storage (2 ± 1 ° C, for 20 days).

A variety of combinations of nisin, gallic acid, and chitosan were tested on pork loin to determine their effect on maintaining pH, texture, and color; effect on lipid oxidation and protein oxidation; and minimizing bacterial growth.

The results of the study showed that the combination of all three components - nisin, gallic acid and chitosan and HO MAP provides the most efficient preservation of samples stored at 2 ± 1 ° C. This combination was able to slow down the increase in lightness of pork samples, preserve redness and tenderness, reduce the oxidation of lipids and proteins, and inhibit the growth of microorganisms.

The application of chitosan coating on HO MAP pork loin had antimicrobial and antioxidant activity when stored in the refrigerator. The addition of nisin alone improved the antimicrobial activity, and the addition of gallic acid enhanced both antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.

The authors suggested that this combined method can be used as a cost-effective packaging technology while preserving fresh pork.