High gas barrier properties of whey protein isolate-coated multi-layer film at pilot plant facility and its application to frozen marinated meatloaf packaging

At pilot plant facility, whey protein isolate-coated multi-layer film was manufactured to develop food packaging with high gas barrier properties. The developed film showed a more rigid and stretchable matrix, with about 1.4 times higher mechanical properties than those of the aluminum oxide-deposited multi-layer film, the commercial film. On the other hand, it showed respectively, 2.16 and 2.36 times higher oxygen and water vapor permeability than the commercial film. The developed film was applied to packaging for frozen marinated meatloaf to evaluate the food quality changes, including headspace oxygen concentration, moisture content, and lipid oxidation. The developed films did not induce significant differences in physicochemical properties of the meatloaves and even sensory evaluation after 6 months compared to commercial films, delaying quality changes of meatloaves as effectively as commercial films. Therefore, these results demonstrated that the developed film has great potential as a frozen food packaging material in practical applications.