Characterization of antioxidant-antimicrobial kappa-carrageenan films containing Satureja hortensis essential oil

The present work was aimed at characterizing biodegradable composite kappa-carrageenan films incorporated with Satureja hortensis (SEO) in terms of their physical, optical, mechanical, barrier and antioxidant properties. Also, in a comparative study, we sought to evaluate the antimicrobial effectiveness of these films against five pathogens. The films' water vapor barrier properties were found to improve considerably upon the addition of SEO. Carrageenan composite films were less resistant to breakage, more flexible and more opaque with lower gloss than the control film. These results can be explained by the film's microstructure, which was analyzed by atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The films incorporating SEO showed good antioxidant properties; this effect was greatly improved when the proportion of added SEO was 3%. Films with SEO effectively inhibited the five microorganisms tested. The results of the present study suggest that SEO as a natural antibacterial agent can potentially be used in packaging a wide range of food products, particularly those that are highly oxidative and microbial sensitive. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.