Health & Environmental Research Online (HERO)


Print Feedback Export to File
7254584 
Journal Article 
Molecularly imprinted hydrogels as functional active packaging materials 
Benito-Peña, E; González-Vallejo, V; Rico-Yuste, A; Barbosa-Pereira, L; Cruz, JM; Bilbao, A; Alvarez-Lorenzo, C; Moreno-Bondi, MC; , 
2016 
Yes 
Food Chemistry
ISSN: 0308-8146
EISSN: 1873-7072 
English 
26213001 
This paper describes the synthesis of novel molecularly imprinted hydrogels (MIHs) for the natural antioxidant ferulic acid (FA), and their application as packaging materials to prevent lipid oxidation of butter. A library of MIHs was synthesized using a synthetic surrogate of FA, 3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)propionic acid (HFA), as template molecule, ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) as cross-linker, and 1-allylpiperazine (1-ALPP) or 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), in combination with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) as functional monomers, at different molar concentrations. The DMAEMA/HEMA-based MIHs showed the greatest FA loading capacity, while the 1-ALLP/HEMA-based polymers exhibited the highest imprinting effect. During cold storage, FA-loaded MIHs protected butter from oxidation and led to TBARs values that were approximately half those of butter stored without protection and 25% less than those recorded for butter covered with hydrogels without FA, potentially extending the shelf life of butter. Active packaging is a new field of application for MIHs with great potential in the food industry.