Extending shelf life of chilled pork pretreated with high-voltage electrostatic field in modified atmosphere packaging by cinnamaldehyde nanoemulsion at non-contact mode

Previous studies have demonstrated the usefulness of cinnamaldehyde nanoemulsions (CNE) combined with high voltage electrostatic field (HVEF) for pork preservation. However, the immersion method severely affects the flavor of the pork while the original color of the pork cannot be controlled. In this experiment, a non-contact mode of oxygen-enriched modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) was proposed for pork preservation. The results showed that CNE would gradually destabilize and then spontaneously release cinnamaldehyde in the package. The pretreatment of HVEF could effectively reduce the initial bacterial count of pork. Due to the oxygen-enriched MAP, deoxyhemoglobin in pork was converted to oxymyoglobin, reducing the percentage of conversion to metmyoglobin, resulting in the pork being able to effectively maintain the original color of the pork during the refrigeration. The combined results showed that CNE + HVEF+MAP could effectively inhibit the rise of total viable count, total volatile basic nitrogen, and pH in pork, inhibit lipid oxidation of pork, and slow down the deterioration of the color of pork and maintain the original flavor of pork. Therefore, it seems that this all-inclusive approach is more appropriate for extending the chilled shelf life of pork.