Preservation of phytosterol and PUFA during ready-to-eat lettuce shelf-life in active bio-package

Natural preservatives are used in food packages to improve the shelf life of perishable products. Carvacrol and thymol, the main components of oregano essential oil (OEO), are used in active packaging due to their antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Here, the effect of a bioactive polylactic acid (PLA)/polybutylene succinate (PBS) package in the conservation of lettuce compounds with dietetic value is studied. Analytical pyrolysis (PyGC/MS) was used to detect changes in dietary components such are phytosterols (PHSTs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) after 1, 4 and 8 days of packaged in PLA/PBS (95:5%) films containing different OEO concentrations (2-10%). Lettuce PUFAs and PHSTs content decreased when packed in films without OEO. However, when packed in films containing 5 and 10% OEO, these bioactive components were preserved during the estimated lettuce shelf life, for up to 8 days of storage.