A Novel Material Nano-Scale Material Derived from Garlic Shell Integrated with Red Meat Samples

The study aimed to develop a novel garlic-shell-based nanofiber using electrospinning and to evaluate its effectiveness in enhancing the safety and shelf life of red meat coated with the fabricated nanofibers. The fabricated nanofibers (71.869 ± 52.830 nm) were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). FTIR spectra of the fabricated nanofibers revealed a chemical structure featuring hydroxyl, aliphatic, and carbonyl groups, alongside active sulphur compounds such as allicin. The thermal mass loss of the obtained nanofibers was not significant at the cooking temperature of red meat samples. The treatment significantly suppressed the growth of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms (p < 0.05). The nanofibers achieved a maximum log reduction of 0.885 for Escherichia coli by day 11. Salmonella typhimurium decreased by 0.66 log CFU/g in red meat samples treated with garlic-shell nanofibers compared with non-nanotreated red meat samples stored at 4°C. Besides pathogenic microorganisms, a significant suppression of Total Psychrophilic Bacteria was observed, ending at 5.10 log CFU/g compared to 6.30 log CFU/g in control samples (decline: 1.2 log CFU/g). On the other hand, the decline in Total Aerobic Mesophilic Bacteria growth was found to be 0.54 log CFU/g over an 11-day analysis period. The findings suggested that nanofibers fabricated from garlic shell, a kind of food waste, represent a promising, bio-based alternative for active food packaging, capable of enhancing the microbiological safety and extending the refrigerated shelf-life of red meat products. Thus, this novel application could play an important role in further food applications.