Production and characterisation of skate skin gelatin films incorporated with thyme essential oil and their application in chicken tenderloin packaging

Summary In this study, skate skin gelatin ( SSG ) was used as a new biodegradable film source and a SSG film was prepared. In addition, thyme essential oil ( TEO ) was incorporated in the SSG film as an antimicrobial agent for the preparation of an antimicrobial film. The tensile strength ( TS ) of the film decreased, whereas elongation at break (E) increased by the addition of TEO . The SSG film containing TEO showed increased antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes and Escherichia coli O157:H7 as TEO concentration increased. To apply the SSG film to food packaging, chicken tenderloin samples were wrapped with the film containing 1% TEO . The packaging of chicken tenderloin with the TEO ‐containing SSG film inhibited the growth of L. monocytogenes and E. coli O157:H7 compared to the control during storage. Therefore, the SSG film with added TEO has potential as active food packaging to extend the shelf life of chicken tenderloin.