Yes / Active packaging consisting of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) trays coated with a Citrus extract, without and with plasma pre-treatment, can reduce lipid oxidation in cooked meat. The mechanism of action of the packaging was investigated by quantifying the extent of transfer of antioxidant components from the active packaging into cooked turkey meat. Kinetic studies revealed the affinity for water of phenolic compounds and carboxylic acids in the Citrus extract, suggesting their diffusion into the water phase of the meat facilitated their antioxidant effect. Analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography permitted the identification of carboxylic acids and flavanones as major components of the extract. Their quantification in meat after contact with the trays revealed a release of 100% of the total coated amount for citric acid, 30% for salicylic acid, 75% for naringin and 58% for neohesperidin, supporting the release of these components into cooked meat as a mechanism of action of the antioxidant active packaging.

Yes / Antioxidant active packaging was prepared by coating a citrus extract on the surface of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) trays which had been either treated with an atmospheric pressure plasma jet or left untreated. The surface characteristics of the packaging were examined, as were its stability and antioxidant efficacy following storage for up to 24 weeks under the following three storage conditions: room temperature, 0 % relative humidity (RH) or 50 °C. Plasma pretreatment increased coating density, thickness and roughness, and oxygenated functional groups at the polymer surface, whereas water contact angle decreased. Trays stored at room temperature did not lose their antioxidant efficacy over 24 weeks and plasma pretreatment enhanced the efficacy from week 8 onwards. Gravimetric analysis of the coating revealed a loss of antioxidant compounds only after 16 weeks. Trays stored at 0 % RH lost coating from week 1 onwards, with lower loss in plasma pretreated trays, while loss of coating was highest at 50 °C, with lower loss in plasma pretreated trays only after 24 weeks. Overall, the surface characteristics of the antioxidant active packaging were modified by plasma pretreatment of the PET surface, with some improvement in antioxidant efficacy, and the efficacy of the packaging in delaying oxidative deterioration in cooked meats was retained during storage at ambient temperature.