Consumers’ increasing awareness of the health implication of synthetic food preservatives alongside the perceived benefits of natural food additives calls for the search for natural food preservatives as an alternative. This study employed total microbial counts, antimicrobial susceptibility test and sensory evaluation methods to investigate meat preservative potential of lyophilized Solanum lycopersicum L. (Tomato) phenotypes’ juice organic solvent extracts in comparison to other preservative methods including salting and boiling. The findings revealed significant (P< 0.05) decrease in the total microbial load alongside 24-hour microbial growth lag in meat treated with the Tomato juice in comparison to untreated (control) and salted meat; but increase as compared to boiled meat. Relative to other tomato phenotypes extracts, the ethyl acetate extract of ripe round-undulated Tomato (YRR) and ethanolic extract of ripe elongated Tomato (HER) exhibited the highest inhibitory potential against Staphylococcus aureus (16.2 ± 0.40 mm), and Staphylococcus aureus (12.0 ± 0.25 mm) and  Bacillus subtilis (1.5 ± 0.20 mm) respectively. Averagely, very good sensory qualities (colour, odour and general acceptability) were recorded within 24 hours for the Tomato juice treated meat as well as boiled meat. A time-dependent decrease in the overall sensory qualities was observed for all the preservative treatments. Our results have highlighted the preservative potential of lyophilized S. lycopersicum juice. Most importantly, it offers comparably better preservation potential than salting method.

Objective(s): A remarkable growing effort has been conducted by several researchers to fabricate food packaging materials which are able to protect foodstuffs and enhance their shelf-life from food-borne pathogens and fungal attack which causes great damage to the food industries. Recent studies has focused on the potential applications of nano-metal oxides in food packaging area. Methods: This study reviews the latest trends and research results concerning the application of chitosan films containing some important nano-metal oxides as appropriate materials for food applications. Results: Nano-metal oxides including zinc oxide, magnesium oxide, titanium dioxide, copper oxide, iron oxide, silicon dioxide, and silica are the most common nano-metal oxides that incorporated into the chitosan film for improving its antimicrobial, physical, mechanical, and thermal properties. Conclusions: The reviewed nano-metal oxides may have positive implications for food industries, particularly in the area of food packaging based on nanoparticles to improve the physic-mechanical properties and also quality shelf-life parameters of foodstuffs.