In this work, the effects of two different amounts of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles on the antimicrobial activities of poly (vinyl chloride)-based films to inactivate food pathogens were investigated. Results showed that the ZnO-coated film exhibited a good inhibition effect on the growth of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus and its ability was attributed to the ZnO nanoparticles. The ZnO-coated films exhibited more effective antibacterial activity for S. aureus. However, antifungal activity of the ZnO-coated films (20 mm · 25 mm) against Aspergillus flavus and Penicillium citrinum was not observed. It is likely due to the complexity of the fungal cell wall and the ZnO nanoparticles without UV light irradiated or the insufficient amount of nanoparticles. Our findings reveal that ZnO nanoparticles have a good potential to be coated on a plastic film to make antimicrobial packaging against bacteria such as E. coli and S. aureus.
ABSTRACT:Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) exhibit antibacterial activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. However, the antimicrobial mechanism of ZnO NPs remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the interactions among ZnO NPs, released chemicals (Zn
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.