Combinational effect of gamma irradiation and sustainable bioactive absorbent bacterial cellulose pads impregnated with tangerine essential oil against some bacterial fish fillet-borne pathogens.

Abstract

Antimicrobial food pads play a key role in the food packaging industry by improving food safety and quality. To control the growth of bacterial pathogens in fish fillets, this study aims to develop a bioactive system using absorbent food pads composed of bacterial cellulose (BC) infused with tangerine essential oil (TEO) as an antibacterial agent. The effects of active BC-pads, gamma irradiation, and their combination on artificially inoculated bacteria (previously isolated) were studied for 6 days at 4 °C using fish fillet samples as a model food system. The results revealed that the initial population counts of Klebsiella oxytoca, Serratia ficaria, Enterobacter cloacae, and Kocuria rosea, were 5.47, 5.63, 5.14, and 5.25 log CFU/g, respectively. These counts increased during the storage period, reaching 8.80 log CFU/g as a mean for all tested strains. After six days of storage, BC, BC/TEO, BC + 1.0 kGy, and BC/TEO + 1.0 kGy pads reduced the initial load of the four bacteria in the fish fillet samples by [1.59, 1.68, 1.92, 2.35], [3.21, 3.12, 3.36, 3.72], [3.53, 3.26, 3.26, 3.37] and [4.97, 5.02, 4.95, 4.83] log CFU/g, respectively. The combination of BC and TEO with low-dose gamma radiation (1.0 kGy) enhances the decontamination effectiveness of fish fillets through synergistic effects. FTIR analysis revealed a slight shift in the absorbance peaks of some functional group interactions and the formation of new bonds between BC and TEO in the presence of gamma irradiation. The study has successfully developed sustainable, eco-friendly, functional bioactive food pads that reduce microbial growth and prevent spoilage of fish fillets during storage.