Novel Bilayer Film Incorporating Antimicrobial Agents to Extend the Shelf Life of Refrigerated Meat and Poultry

In this study, a novel antimicrobial bilayer film was developed to enhance the shelf-life of raw meat and poultry. The film comprised a fish skin gelatin bottom layer with excellent water absorption capacity and a pullulan top layer incorporating lauric arginate and/or nisin Z, which are both Generally Recognized as Safe antimicrobials. The film's antimicrobial efficacy was evaluated against <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> and <i>Brochothrix thermosphacta</i> on inoculated chicken breast and sirloin beef. Compared with a commercial absorbent pad, the bilayer film incorporating antimicrobials (bilayer film containing nisin Z and lauric arginate, NiLF) demonstrated the most significant antimicrobial activity (<i>P</i><0.05). This film reduced <i>P. aeruginosa</i> populations on chicken breast and sirloin beef by 2.51 and 3.40 log₁₀ CFU/cm², respectively, by day 21 of refrigerated storage. Notably, it also eliminated <i>B. thermosphacta</i> from chicken breast and sirloin beef within 14 and 7 days, respectively. The bilayer film containing nisin Z was more effective against <i>B. thermosphacta</i> (3.06 and 5.12 log₁₀ CFU/cm² reduction on chicken breast and sirloin beef, respectively), whereas the bilayer film containing lauric arginat better inhibited <i>P. aeruginosa</i> (1.64 and 2.75 log₁₀ CFU/cm² reduction on chicken breast and sirloin beef, respectively). By contrast, the commercial absorbent pad showed minimal to no inhibition of either bacterium. Sensory evaluation further demonstrated that the bilayer NiLF consistently achieved the highest scores (<i>P</i><0.05) across all sensory attributes for chicken and beef. This innovative approach offers a promising alternative to conventional absorbent-pad-based meat preservation methods, potentially improving food safety, reducing food waste, and minimizing environmental impact.