Selective effects of an industrial produced α-tocopherol active packaging on lipid oxidation pathways in grated Grana Padano cheese

Lipid oxidation is a major factor affecting the quality of grated cheeses, whose high surface area enhances oxidative reactions. Although antioxidant active packaging has been investigated, most studies are limited to laboratory-scale systems and simplified food models, with limited attention to the relationship between antioxidant release and oxidation kinetics under industrially relevant conditions. In this study, an industrially produced α-tocopherol-based active film was characterized and applied to grated Grana Padano cheese during storage at 4 ◦C and 20 ◦C. The incorporation of α-tocopherol induced a moderate plasticizing effect, increasing water vapor permeability by 40%, while oxygen barrier properties remained unchanged. The active compound exhibited rapid release at 25 ◦C (94% within 30 h) but slower release at 4 ◦C (50% after 25 days). Despite extensive migration into the cheese matrix, reaching 777 ± 180 mg/kg after 60 days at 4 ◦C, no significant reduction in peroxide value was observed. Conversely, the active packaging reduced free fatty acid accumulation under accelerated storage (0.043 vs. 0.028 g/g oleic acid after 60 days at 20 ◦C), limited colour changes (ΔE: 11 vs. 9), and selectively modulated volatile organic compounds associated with secondary oxidation. These results show that antioxidant migration alone does not ensure control of primary oxidation. Instead, active packaging performance depends on the synchronization between antioxidant release and food oxidation kinetics. The industrially produced active film selectively affected secondary degradation pathways, highlighting the importance of matching antioxidant activity with food degradation kinetics when designing effective antioxidant active packaging systems for industrial applications.