Antimicrobial Efficiency of Edible Films in Food Industry

Abstract

In the current article, several applications of materials in food packaging and food safety are reviewed, including: polymers as high barrier packaging materials, natural substances as potent antimicrobial agents, and the efficiency of antimicrobial films in food industry. The first condition of all this materials in order to be utilised in food industry is to fall into the list of generally accepted as food grade. Active antimicrobial food packaging systems are supposed not only to passively protect food products against environmental factors, but also to inhibit or retard microbial growth on the food surface, extending the shelf life of products. Edible films can be incorporated into conventional food packaging systems with a dual purpose as an edible and antimicrobial component. Several benefits resulting from the application of the antimicrobial films, embedded with various natural antimicrobials, on different food products as fruits, vegetables and meat products lead to various benefits as maintaining the products freshness for longer time, extend product shelf life and reduce the risk of pathogen growth. Thus, food graded antimicrobial packaging films are promising food packaging materials because its biodegradability provides sustainable development for modern community by reducing the use of drugs as chemical antibiotics, reducing economic losses and overall increases the trust of the final consumer in food products.

PURIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF BACTERIOCIN PRODUCED BY DIFFERENT Lactobacillus SPECIES ISOLATED FROM FERMENTED FOODS

“…The final reversed-phase HPLC step of the purification procedure led to isolation of a single active fraction having antibacterial activity. Bioautography on thinlayer chromatograms, a method previously used for detecting antibacterial and antifungal substances for control of pathogens was useful to revel the active fraction [34]. The study indicated that the isolated Lactobacillus species meet several of the criteria for use as a probiotic.…”

Effect of Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles on Glycerol-Plasticized Anionic and Cationic Polysaccharide Edible Films

“…Ideal candidates for reducing the huge amount of conventional plastics are the "bioplastics, manufactured exclusively with natural polymers, which are able to be fully 2 of 10 recycled into the environment, in a short time, following their utilization as packaging materials" [2][3][4]. Renewable resources for producing bioplastics are represented by several polysaccharides (PSs) that are able to constitute the matrices for edible films and coatings [5,6]. Nevertheless, films based on natural polymers are widely known to exhibit poor mechanical resistance, as well as limited barrier and thermal properties.…”

Effect of Linseed (Linum usitatissimum) Mucilage and Chitosan Edible Coatings on Quality and Shelf-Life of Fresh-Cut Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo)

“…The present-day accelerated lifestyle has increased the production and consumption of minimally processed horticultural and ready-to-eat products [1][2][3]. However, the development of fresh-cut products from fruits such as pineapple, papaya, watermelon, mango, and cantaloupe, among others, has been limited because these foods are highly perishable compared to intact fruit.…”