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© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Replacing the petroleum-based materials in the food industry is one of the main objectives of the scientists and decision makers worldwide. Biodegradable packaging will help diminish the environmental impact of human activity. Improving such biodegradable packaging materials by adding antimicrobial activity will not only extend the shelf life of foodstuff, but will also eliminate some health hazards associated with food borne diseases, and by diminishing the food spoilage will decrease the food waste. The objective of this research was to obtain innovative antibacterial films based on a biodegradable polymer, namely alginate. Films were characterized by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and microscopy, complex thermal analysis (TG-DSC-FTIR), UV-Vis and fluorescence spectroscopy. Water vapor permeability and swelling behavior were also determined. As antimicrobial agents, we used silver spherical nanoparticles (Ag NPs) and lemongrass essential oil (LGO), which were found to act in a synergic way. The obtained films exhibited strong antibacterial activity against tested strains, two Gram-positive (Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus) and two Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Salmonella Typhi). Best results were obtained against Bacillus cereus. The tests indicate that the antimicrobial films can be used as packaging, preserving the color, surface texture, and softness of cheese for 14 days. At the same time, the color of the films changed (darkened) as a function of temperature and light presence, a feature that can be used to monitor the storage conditions for sensitive food.

Details

Title
Antibacterial Biodegradable Films Based on Alginate with Silver Nanoparticles and Lemongrass Essential Oil–Innovative Packaging for Cheese
Author
Motelica, Ludmila 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Ficai, Denisa 1 ; Oprea, Ovidiu-Cristian 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Ficai, Anton 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Vladimir-Lucian Ene 1   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Bogdan-Stefan Vasile 1 ; Andronescu, Ecaterina 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Alina-Maria Holban 3 

 Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Material Science, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania; [email protected] (L.M.); [email protected] (D.F.); [email protected] (A.F.); [email protected] (V.-L.E.); [email protected] (B.-S.V.); [email protected] (E.A.); [email protected] (A.-M.H.) 
 Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Material Science, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania; [email protected] (L.M.); [email protected] (D.F.); [email protected] (A.F.); [email protected] (V.-L.E.); [email protected] (B.-S.V.); [email protected] (E.A.); [email protected] (A.-M.H.); Academy of Romanian Scientists, 050045 Bucharest, Romania 
 Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Material Science, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 060042 Bucharest, Romania; [email protected] (L.M.); [email protected] (D.F.); [email protected] (A.F.); [email protected] (V.-L.E.); [email protected] (B.-S.V.); [email protected] (E.A.); [email protected] (A.-M.H.); Microbiology & Immunology Department, Faculty of Biology, University of Bucharest, 077206 Bucharest, Romania 
First page
2377
Publication year
2021
Publication date
2021
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
20794991
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2576400816
Copyright
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.