INTRODUCTIONAmong the fundamental principles of raw materialsand foods quality are their safety, sustainability, andlong-term nutritional value [1, 2, 14].One of the promising directions in addressing theglobal pollution of human habitat by polymer waste isto create environmentally safe packaging [3, 4]. Muchattention is paid to the development of biodegradable andedible packaging materials which simplify product dosingand portioning without polluting the environment [5–7].Using natural polymers – polysaccharides – as afilm-forming basis is highly promising in the productionof biodegradable coatings. Polysaccharide-based filmsprotect raw materials and food products from mass loss(due to reduced moisture evaporation rate) and from thepenetration of oxygen and other substances. As a result,it slows down the changes in the product quality [8, 9].Films based on microbial polysaccharides are not yetsufficiently used in national economies. They have lowerbarrier and mechanical properties (resistance to highproduct and environment moisture) than polymeric films.But their main advantage is that they do not pollute theenvironment because they are biodegradable [10].In this regard, it is highly relevant to developenvironmentally safe biodegradable coating for meatraw materials using exopolysaccharides of bacterialorigin. Our aim was to study sensory, physicochemical,and microbiological parameters, as well as environmentalsafety and storage time of meat and fishraw materials packed in biodegradable film based onexopolysaccharide of bacterial origin (xanthan).68Giro T.M. et al. Foods and Raw Materials, 2020, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 67–75STUDY OBJECTS AND METHODSThe objects of our study were xanthan (France),chilled pork, and pond carp. Pigs were slaughtered at“Products of the Volga Region” meat processing plantin accordance with the requirements of the TechnicalRegulations of the Customs Union on safety of meatand meat products (TR CU 034/2013I). Carcasses werecut in accordance with State Standard 31778-2012II.Pork meat (m. longissimus dorsi) was cut into portions(20–40 g) and packed in biodegradable xanthanbasedfilm. Unpackaged raw materials were used ascontrol samples. As for fish, we used freshly deadpond carp yearlings (90–110 g) grown at the FishCultivation Laboratory at Saratov State AgrarianUniversity. Experimental fish samples were packed ina biodegradable film, while unpacked fish was used asa control. A film coating was made according to themethod described in the Patent of the Russian FederationNo. 2662008C1 “Biodegradable food film coating” [11].Mesophilic aerobic and facultative anaerobicmicroorganisms in pork and carp were determinedaccording to State Standard 10444.15-94III on meat-andpeptonagar (MPA). Coliform bacteria were determinedaccording to State Standard 31747-2012IV on Kesslerand Endo media. Salmonella was determined accordingto State Standard 31659-2012V, using non-selectiveenrichment medium (buffered pepton water), selectiveenrichment medium (RVS broth), and differentialdiagnostic media (bismuth-sulfite agar and Endo agar).L. monocytogenes lysteria were determined according toState Standard 32031-2012VI, using PBL1, PBL2 (Listeriaenrichment broth), and agar listeria Ottaviani-Agosti(ALOA-agar). Proteus bacteria in pork were determinedaccording to State Standard 28560-90VII on agar forProteus release, and staphylococcus in carp, accordingto State Standard 31746-2012VIII, using sodium chloridebroth and salt-egg yolk agar.To determine pork freshness, we selectedexperimental samples (packed in biodegradable film)and control (unpacked) samples stored at 0–4°C. TheI TR TS 034/2013. Tekhnicheskiy reglament Tamozhennogo soyuza“O bezopasnosti myasa i myasnoy produktsii” [TR CU 034/2013Technical regulations of the Customs Union “On safety of meat andmeat products”]. 2013. 108 p.II State Standard 31778-2012. Meat. Dressing of pork into cuts.Specifications. Moscow: Standartinform; 2014. 16 p.III State Standard 10444.15-94. Food products. Methods fordetermination of quantity of mesophilic aerobes and facultativeanaerobes. Moscow: Standartinform; 2010. 6 p.IV State Standard 31747-2012. Food products. Methods for detectionand quantity determination of coliformes. Moscow: Standartinform;2013. 16 p.V State Standard 31659-2012. Food products. Method for detection ofSalmonella spp. Moscow: Standartinform; 2014. 21 p.VI State Standard 32031-2012. Food products. Methods for detectionof Listeria monocytogenes. Moscow: Standartinform; 2014. 28 p.VII State Standard 28560-90. Food products. Method for detectionof bacteria of Proteus, Morganella, Providencia genera. Moscow:Standartinform; 2010. 6 p.VIII State Standard 31746-2012. Food products. Methods for detectionand quantity determination of coagulase-positive staphylococci andStaphylococcus aureus. Moscow: Standartinform; 2013. 22 p.selection was carried out according to State Standard7269-79IX. The pork samples were sent to the productionlaboratory. Each sample was wrapped in parchmentpaper and numbered. Chilled raw materials were storedat 0–2°C. Changes in acid and peroxide numbers, aswell as thiobarbituric value, indicated the processesoccurring in the lipid fraction during storage.Toxic lead and cadmium were determined by themethod of the Scientific Council on Analytical Methods450xs (Methodological Guidelines 4.1.986-00X).Mass fraction of antibiotics was determined byan express-method based on antibiotic suppressionof dehydrogenase activity of testing cultures in aliquid nutrient medium (Methodological Guidelines4.2.026-95XI).Water-binding capacity (WBC) was determined bypressing method on filter paper by Grau-Hamm modifiedby Volovinska-Kelman [12].Acid and peroxide numbers were determinedaccording to standard methods of Gorbatov All-RussiaMeat Research Institute to assess the quality and safetyof meat and meat products.Thiobarbituric index was determined according tothe Sidwell method modified by Turner.Concentration of hydrogen ions was determined bypotentiometric method at a 2696 contact pH meter withautomatic compensation in the range of 0 to 40°C for pHand temperature measurements of aqueous solutions.Water activity (Aw) of raw materials was determinedby a cryoscopic method based on the determinationof the freezing temperature of the sample and itsconversion into the indicator of water activity.Fats were extracted from fish raw materials by anextraction-weight method according to State Standard54053-2010XII. The content of individual fatty acidmethyl esters in relation to total fatty acid content wasdetermined by gas chromatography according to StateStandard R 51486-99XIII and State Standard R 51483-99XIV using a Crystal 2000M gas chromatograph. Theacid number of extracted fats was determined accordingIX State Standard 7269-79. Meat. Methods of sampling and sensorymethods of freshness test. Moscow: Standartinform; 2006. 7 p.X MUK 4.1.986-00. Metodika vypolneniya izmereniy massovoy dolisvintsa i kadmiya v pishchevykh produktakh i prodovolʹstvennom syrʹemetodom ehlektrotermicheskoy atomno-absorbtsionnoy spektrometrii[Methodological Guidelines 4.1.986-00. Method of measurement ofmass fraction of lead and cadmium in food products and food rawmaterials by electrothermal atomic absorption spectrometry]. Moscow:Federal Center of State Sanitary and Epidemiological SurveillanceDepartment, Ministry of Health; 2000. 32 p.XI MUK 4.2.026-95. Ehkspress-metod opredeleniya antibiotikov vpishchevykh produktakh [Methodological Guidelines 4.2.026-95.Express- method for determining antibiotics in food products].Moscow: Institute of Nutrition of RAMS; 1995. 14 p.XII State Standard 54053-2010. Confectionery. Methods fordetermination of fat fraction. Moscow: Standartinform; 2013. 15 p.XIII State Standard R 51486-99. Vegetable oils and animal fats.Preparation of methyl esters of fatty acids. Moscow: Standartinform;2008. 6 p.XIV State Standard R 51483-99. Vegetable oils and animal fats.Determination of individual fatty acid methyl ester fraction to totalfatty acid content by gas chromatography. Moscow: Standartinform;2008. 7 p.69Giro T.M. et al. Foods and Raw Materials, 2020, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 67–75to State Standard R 52110-2003XV. The peroxide numberwas determined by the Golovkina and Perkel method.Peroxides in fish fats were determined by pH titration.Sensory analysis of pork and fish was carried outaccording to State Standard 23670-79XVI and StateStandard 814-96XVII, respectively. The analysis includedappearance, color, aroma, flavor, and texture.The results were statistically processed usingMicrosoft Excel 2010 (Microsoft Corp. USA) andStatPlus 2009 Professional 5.8.4 for Windows statisticalanalysis package (StatSoft Inc., USA). The Studentt-criterion was used to assess the validity of differencesbetween samplings.RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONWe aimed to develop and investigate eco-safepackaging, namely bactericidal biodegradable film basedon bacterial exopolysaccharide (xanthan) to extend theshelf life of animal raw materials.At the initial stage, we assessed the sanitary andhygienic state of the raw materials (Tables 1 and 2).The content of toxic elements (lead and cadmium)met the requirements of the Technical Regulations ofthe Eurasian Economic Union “On safety of meat andmeat products”XVIII. We did not detect any antibiotics(levomycetin, grisin, bacitracin) or their traces inexperimental pork samples packed in xanthan film(TR CU 034/2013I).Further, we examined carp for parasitologicalparameters (Table 2).The hygienic parameters of carp are presented inTable 3.The results of sanitary and hygienic analysisshowed that the fish raw materials under study metthe requirements of the TR EAEU 040/2016XVIII(Tables 2 and 3).The quality of chilled meat during storage andmoisture loss are known to depend on temperature andcooling rate. Meat mass loss due to moisture evaporationduring cooling is not only a quantitative characteristic.The product’s porous surface and thermal burns resultin deteriorated marketable conditions. De-iced poresXV State Standard R 52110-2003. Vegetable oils. Methods fordetermination of acid value. Moscow: Izdatelʹstvo standartov;2003. 8 p.XVI State Standard 23670-79. Cooked sausage goods and meat loaves.Specifications. Moscow: Izdatelʹstvo standartov; 2003. 25 p.XVII State Standard 814-96. Iced fish. Specifications. Moscow: Izdatelʹstvo standartov; 2001. 6 p.XVIII TR EAEHS 040/2016. Tekhnicheskiy reglament Evraziyskogoehkonomicheskogo soyuza “O bezopasnosti ryby i rybnoy produktsii”[TR EAEU 040/2016. Technical regulation of the Eurasian EconomicUnion “On safety of fish and fish products”]. 2016. 140 p.are filled with air, which accelerates oxidative processesreducing the quality and marketability of pork [13].In our study, the mass loss of chilled pork packedin bio-degradable film decreased from 2.16% to 0.21%during storage (Table 4).These results confirm that the biodegradable film istightly attached to the surface of the raw material. Thisensures reliable sealing of the packaging and preventsmoisture exchange [19].In our study, the storage of pork packed in biofilmin cardboard containers significantly weakenedtemperature fluctuations and had a positive effect onmass loss reduction. Biodegradable packaging not onlyensures the microbiological stability of meat products,but also improves their sensory properties due to anincreased meat water-binding capacity. The mass lossof pork packed in biodegradable film was lower and themeat was more dense than unpackaged pork.Table 1 Environmental safety indicators for pork packedin xanthan-based filmToxic elements Content, mg/kg (M ± m)Lead 0.054 ± 0.003Cadmium 0.025 ± 0.0013Table 2 Parasitological indicators of carpLiving helminth larvae ContentTrematodesOpistorchis ndClonorchis ndPseudamphistomum ndMetagonimus ndNanophietus ndEchinochazmus ndMetorchis ndRossikotrema ndApophallus ndNematodesDioctophyme ndnd – not detectedTable 3 Hygienic indicators of carpIndicator LevelNitrosamines (N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA)and N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA)–Dioxins –Polychlorinated biphenyls –Table 4 Mass loss of cooled pork packed in biodegradable film(experimental sample) and unpackaged pork (control sample)during storageDurationof storage, daysMass loss, gControl sample Experimental samples1 184.14 199.022 178.54 195.634 170.23 190.216 168.12 186.028 163.05 181.3711 158.78 176.5613 150.01 168.6070Giro T.M. et al. Foods and Raw Materials, 2020, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 67–75In addition, biodegradable films slow down oxidationprocesses. The decreased rate of oxidation processes inthe experimental samples correlates with their sensoryindicators. Sensory evaluation showed that all packagedpork samples were fresh throughout the storage period,namely seven days. Packing in biodegradable filmimproves the sensory properties of raw materials, whichcould not be achieved when storing without packaging.The experimental samples had a more attractiveappearance and preserved their flavor during the shelflife. The samples packed in biodegradable film had abrighter color, as the proposed packaging preventedoxidation of heme pigments. The control samples had aspecific drying crust on the meat surface. The film didnot degrade the taste, consistency, or color of pork.The sensory evaluation of carp packed inbiodegradable film showed that the fish met all thecriteria for this type of raw materials within the first fourdays, followed by a decline in the sensory indicators.The control (unpackaged) samples deteriorated as earlyas day 3 (Table 5).A possible duration of refrigerated storage for fishraw materials is determined by their initial properties,as well as refrigeration and storage conditions. Forexample, sealed packaging eliminates the need toregulate the air humidity and prevents microbialcontamination. As a result, sealed packaging can, tosome extent, compensate for the lowering of the storagetemperature by a few degrees.We found that the use of biodegradable filmcontributed to the preservation of the quality andfreshness of carp, keeping its sensory indicators at therequired level for quite a long time and reducing thenatural loss of product mass during storage.The analysis of Tables 5 and 6 showed the positiveeffect of biodegradable film packaging on the carpquality during short-term storage in a cold chamberwithout special conditions. The analysis of pork’sphysicochemical indicators revealed that biodegradablefilm packaging inhibited the microbial and enzymaticactivity, which reduced structural and chemical changesin the raw materials under study.The activity of water is known to have a greatimpact on the growth of microorganisms. The initialwater activity value of pork Aw was 0.985. Packingin biodegradable film based on exopolysaccharide ofTable 5 Sensory indicators of carp during six-day storageIndicator CharacteristicExperimental samples Control samples24 h (day 1)Appearance Clean surface of natural coloring, glossy due to filmcoating. Pink gills. No external damage (Fig. 6)Clean surface of natural coloring. Pink gills. No externaldamageTexture Dense, elastic Dense, elasticOdor Characteristic of fresh carp, without off-odors. Characteristic of fresh carp, without off-odors.48 h (day 2)Appearance Clean matte surface, dried crust. Pink gills. No externaldamageClean surface of natural coloring. Pink gills. No externaldamageTexture Dense, elastic Dense, elasticOdor Characteristic of fresh carp Characteristic of fresh carp72 h (day 3)Appearance Clean matte surface, dried crust. Pink gills. Withoutexternal damageClean surface of natural coloring. Dark red gills. Fishwithout external damageTexture Dense, elastic Less denseOdor Characteristic of fresh carp Characteristic of fresh carp96 h (day 4)Appearance Clean surface, with dried crust. Pink gills. Fish withoutexternal damageClean surface of natural coloring. Dark-colored gills Fishwithout external damageTexture Dense, elastic Infirm, InelasticOdor Characteristic of fresh carp Off-odor120 h (day 5)Appearance Clean surface with dried crust. Pink gills. Fish withoutexternal damageClean surface of natural coloring. Dark-colored gills Fishwithout external damageTexture Dense, elastic Infirm, InelasticOdor Off-odor With signs of spoilage144 h (day 6)Appearance Clean surface with dried crust. Pink gills Fish withoutexternal damageMucous surface of unnatural coloring. Dark-colored gills.Fish without external damageTexture Dense, elastic InfirmOdor Off-odor With signs of spoilage71Giro T.M. et al. Foods and Raw Materials, 2020, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 67–75bacterial origin reduced this value to the level of 0.96 for7 days. Thus, biodegradable film had a positive effect onmicrobiological stability of pork and carp during storage.The data characterizing the functional andtechnological characteristics of the raw materials arepresented in Table 7.According to the data from Table 7, biodegradablefilm packaging decreased pH to 5.78, as a result ofaccelerating glycolysis, which contributed to theinhibition of bacterial growth on meat surface. Inaddition, pH values in the experimental samples werelower due to the biodegradable film’s pH (7.5). Thiscontributed to an increase in moisture by 5.1% andimproved hydration properties of muscle fibers duringstorage. The same trend was observed for the waterbindingcapacity of experimental and control samples.Based on the data presented in Table 7, we can concludethat biodegradable film packaging showed an identicaleffect on both meat and fish raw materials; the mass lossand pH values of carp reduced during storage.Thus, the packaging of animal raw materials inbiodegradable film based on exopolysaccharidesbefore cooling preserved the quality and increasedtheir stability during storage by slowing chemical,microbiological, and enzymatic processes which causespoilage. Microbiological characteristics of pork storedat 0–2°C for 10 days are presented in Tables 8 and 9.On days 1 and 2 of meat storage, we observed agradual increase in the number of mesophilic aerobicand facultative anaerobic microorganisms, as well ascoli form bacteria, both in the control and experimentalsamples. Three days later, the number of mesophilicaerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganismsdecreased in the experimental samples, while in thecontrol ones this indicator increased, compared to day 1.Proteus bacteria were detected in the control samples onday 3. This bacterial growth indicated the beginning ofmeat spoilage (rotting processes). In the experimentalsamples, Proteus was found only on day 5. Proteusbacteria count in the control samples was significantlyhigher than in the samples packed in biofilm. Pathogenicbacteria, including salmonella and L. monocytogenes,were not found in the samples.Obviously, the packaging reduces oxygen access toraw materials and almost completely inhibits the growthof aerobic microorganisms. As a result, the shelf life ofchilled pork in biodegradable film increased to 5 days.We also studied the influence of biodegradable filmpackaging on the microbiological processes occurring incarp meat. It was revealed that the biofilm significantlyreduced the total contamination of fish on days 1 and 2,thereby increasing the storage duration. Microbiologicalcharacteristics of fish stored at 0–2°C for 2–6 days arepresented in Tables 10 and 11.Pathogenic bacteria, including salmonella andL. monocytogenes and staphylococci, were not foundin the samples under study. The data allowed us toconclude that the film contributed to extending carpshelf life. Thus, the microbiological results closelycorrelated with the sensory characteristics of carp.The oxidation processes in lipids are important inthe storage of raw meat. Lipids are relatively unstablebecause they contain unsaturated fatty acids that areTable 6 Change in fish mass during storageDuration of storage, days Control sample ExperimentalsampleMass loss1 104.54 109.162 98.34 105.393 95.13 100.676 86.47 96.81Average weight for 4 days 96.12 103Average deviation +6.89Table 7 Functional and technological indicatorsof pork and carpSample pH Aw Moisture, %Porkday 1 day 7 day 1 day 7 day 1 day 7Control 6.30 6.10 0.985 0.982 69.2 66.8Experiment 6.30 5.78 0.985 0.960 69.2 71.9CarpControl 6.42 6.39 0.9819 0.9816 68.98 71.39Experiment 6.42 6.35 0.9819 0.9569 68.98 71.5Table 8 Total bacterial count in pork during 10-day storageSample Mesophilic aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganismsStorage duration, days1 2 3 5 7 10Control 2.0×106 ± 0.02 2.0×107 ± 0.20 1.0×107 ± 0.40 2.0×107 ± 0.20 3.5×107 ± 0.20 1.0×108 ± 0,20Experimental 1.0×107 ± 0.20 2.5×107 ± 0.20 5.0×106 ± 0.04* 1.0×107 ± 0.40* 2.0×107 ± 0.20* 5.0×107 ± 0.80**P ≤ 0.05Table 9 Microbial contamination of pork during10-day storageSample Coli form bacteria Proteus bacteriaStorage duration, days Storage duration, days1 2 3 5 7 10 1 2 3 5 7 10Control + + + + + + – – + + + +Experimental + + + + + + – – – + + +72Giro T.M. et al. Foods and Raw Materials, 2020, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 67–75easily oxidized. The oxidation of lipids, as well as thepigments of muscle tissue, depends on oxygen partialpressure. Oxidative changes in lipids under aerobicconditions have a limited rate of hydroperoxic radicalformation [15, 16].We studied oxidation processes of raw meat packedin biodegradable film and their effect on meat shelf life.The shelf life of pork to a large extent depends on theresistance of the lipid fraction to oxidation, which, in itsturn, depends on the content of radicals of unsaturatedfatty acids and the degree of their unsaturation. Toevaluate the rate of oxidative processes occurring incooled meat during storage, we determined peroxide,acid, and thiobarbituric values in the experimentalsamples (packed in biodegradable film based onexopolysaccharide of bacterial origin) and in the controlsamples (Table 12).As one can see from Table 12, the control samplesshowed a more intensive enzymatic hydrolysis rate oftriglycerides and phospholipids in the control samples.The accumulation of secondary oxidation productsdepends on the initial thiobarbituric value and has anegative effect on the sensory parameters and shelf lifeof products. By the end of storage (day 7), the value was0.056 for unpackaged meat and 0.026 for pork packed inbiodegradable film, which confirms the prospects of theproposed packaging. The analysis of lipid parametersof pork stored at 0–2°C showed that by day 7, thethiobarbituric value in pork packed in biodegradablefilm was 2.2 times lower than in the control samples. Wefound that the duration of induction increased and therate of peroxides accumulation decreased with reductionof air oxygen access to raw materials.A slight increase in peroxide value indicated theinhibition of oxidative processes. At the final stage ofpork storage (day 7), the growth of peroxide values forpackaged and control samples was 0.034 and 0.038%,respectively. The slower oxidation process in packagedpork can be explained by a low gas permeability of thepackaging film combined with the ability of muscletissue to absorb oxygen. A low amount of oxygen in thepackage inhibits oxidative processes and, in combinationwith low temperature, creates favorable conditions forraw materials.A determining factor of the fish shelf life is oftenlipid oxidation, which causes negative changes in itssensory properties (taste, flavor, color, texture) andnutritional value, as well as possible formation of toxicoxidation products. The processes of lipid change arequite complex since they occur as a result of chemical,biological, and enzymatic transformations. Theseprocesses often occur simultaneously, but lead to theformation of the same intermediate end products suchas peroxides, free fatty acids, aldehydes, ketones,as well as products of their polymerization. Theoxidizing properties of fats depend on the degree of fatunsaturation and factors inhibiting oxidation, namelyheat, light, traces of heavy metals, etc.In addition, the degree of lipolysis is of importance,since this process is the first stage of degradation ofthe product. Enzymes (e.g. lipoxygenases) catalyzelipid oxidation, interacting mainly or exclusivelywith free fatty acids. The stability of food material inrelation to lipolytic decomposition is an indicator ofbiochemical activity of enzymes, cofactors, and lipidsubstrates. Water-insoluble lipids tend to aggregate,forming a boundary layer. Thus, the sensitivity tolipolysis and subsequent lipid oxidation is determinedby the physicochemical properties of this unique twodimensionalmedium. In the case of fish, of greatimportance is its physiological condition, which affectsits quality and shelf life.The fatty acid composition of carp fat phase showedthat its lipids were characterized by high biologicalefficiency, but at the same time by instability duringstorage due to their unsaturation (Table 13).Since peroxide and acid values are indicators of theproduct’s safety, we determined these parameters in thecontrol and experimental carp samples (Table 14).Table 13 demonstrates that the content of free fattyacids in the experimental samples was almost half aslarge as in the control samples on day 1 of storage. ThisTable 10 Total bacterial count in carp during storageSample Mesophilic aerobic and facultativeanaerobic microorganismsStorage duration, days1 2Control 1.0×107 ± 0.080 4,0×104 ± 0,4Experimental 1.0×103 ± 0.080* 2,0×103 ± 0,2** P ≤ 0.05Table 11 Microbial contamination of carp during storageSample Coli form bacteriaStorage duration, days1 2 3 6Control + + + +Experimental + + + +Table 12 Changes in lipid fraction of pork packedin biodegradable film based on xanthanSample Storage,daysAcidvalue,mg KOHPeroxidevalue, %iodineThiobarbituricvalue,N/mol/mLM M MExperimental 0 0.300 0 02 0.430 0.003 05 0.460 0.020 0.0317 0.650 0.034 0.026Control 0 0.300 0 02 0.600 0.007 05 0.670 0.026 0.0317 0.780 0.038 0.05673Giro T.M. et al. Foods and Raw Materials, 2020, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 67–75suggests that hydrolytic processes in the tissues of theexperimental carp samples occurred more slowly duringstorage. Nevertheless, the content of free fatty acidsexceeded the current norm six to seven times at the finalstage of research.According to the data presented in Table 14, thecontent of peroxides on day 1 of storage correspondedto the norms (less than 10 meq/kg) in both groups andwas higher in the control compared to the experimentalsamples. By the end of the experiment, it reached thelevels that did not meet the safety requirements.Thus, the change in the fat fraction in carp packedin biodegradable film slowed down the oxidation of itslipids. However, it should be noted that the carp samplesunder study had an increased initial content of free fattyacids and peroxides that did not meet the requirementsof technical regulationsXVIII, which may be due to thediet used in carp cultivation.The results of our research are largely comparablewith numerous studies on the influence of variousbiodegradable films on the quality and shelf life ofanimal raw materials. Jeevahan et al. showed a positiveeffect of starch-based nanocellulose film on foodproducts [17]. Another work was devoted to the use ofbiodegradable nanocomposite pigment films for foodconservation [18].Wang et al. and Pavlath revealed that biodegradablecellulose composite film based on corncob ligninand made by an anti-solvent precipitation method iseffective in food technologies [19, 20]. In addition,water-soluble Vivos (MonoSol) film has been recentlystudied. However, its use is limited, as it dissolves onlyin hot water [9]. Promising are film coatings based onpolysaccharides (chitosan, alginates), as well as calciumor magnesium salts, which were developed by HarvardUniversity researchers [21].CONCLUSIONThis paper suggested the use of bacterialexopolysaccharides (xanthan) as the main ingredientfor food film coatings. We revealed that thispackaging reduced oxygen access to raw materialsand almost completely inhibited the growth of aerobicmicroorganisms, resulting in extended shelf liferesistance of meat and fish during storage. Under sucha coating, myoglobin retained its native state, so themeat had a richer color, which appeals to consumers.Biodegradable film packaging increased not only themicrobiological stability of meat, but also its waterbindingcapacity and sensory properties. Pork packed inthe biodegradable film has higher juiciness and densertexture compared to unpacked samples. In addition, weobserved the significant inhibition of aerobic and coliformbacteria growth in experimental samples at 0–2°C.The storage temperature of 0–2°C for pork andcarp, relative air humidity of 85–90%, and air speedof 0.2–0.3 m/s provided high quality for 10 days forpork and 2 days for fish. It should be noted that thechosen temperature did not prevent the development ofmicroflora, enzymatic processes, and processes of fatfraction oxidation. Nevertheless, biodegradable filmextended the shelf life of chilled meat products andprotected it from microbial and oxidative damage.The packaging of meat raw materials inbiodegradable film can be very promising to use inthe food industry. This method of packaging not onlypreserves the functional and technological properties offood products, lowers their mass loss, and extends theirshelf life, but also reduces costs and is environmentallyfriendly.The findings were presented at the 20th Russianagro-industrial exhibition “Golden Autumn-2018” andawarded a diploma and a bronze medal.In addition, we developed technical documentationfor the production of pork cuts 9213-012-00493497-18 (“Pork cuts packed in biodegradable film”). Thetechnology was tested and adopted at “Products of theVolga Region” meat processing plant (Engels, Saratovregion).CONTRIBUTIONThe authors were equally involved in the writingof the manuscript and are equally responsible forplagiarism.CONFLICT OF INTERESTThe authors state that there is no conflict of interest.