Antimicrobial nanoparticles and biodegradable polymer composites for active food packaging applications

Abstract

The food industry faces numerous challenges to assure provision of tasty and convenient food that possesses extended shelf life and shows long‐term high‐quality preservation. Research and development of antimicrobial materials for food applications have provided active antibacterial packaging technologies that are able to meet these challenges. Furthermore, consumers expect and demand sustainable packaging materials that would reduce environmental problems associated with plastic waste. In this review, we discuss antimicrobial composite materials for active food packaging applications that combine highly efficient antibacterial nanoparticles (i.e., metal, metal oxide, mesoporous silica and graphene‐based nanomaterials) with biodegradable and environmentally friendly green polymers (i.e., gelatin, alginate, cellulose, and chitosan) obtained from plants, bacteria, and animals. In addition, innovative syntheses and processing techniques used to obtain active and safe packaging are showcased. Implementation of such green active packaging can significantly reduce the risk of foodborne pathogen outbreaks, improve food safety and quality, and minimize product losses, while reducing waste and maintaining sustainability.

Study on the influence of advanced treatment processes on the surface properties of polylactic acid for a bio-based circular economy for plastics

“…A complete degradation of PLA in soil and water may take up to several years [81] , [82] mainly because PLA is resistant to environmental bacteria. The degradation process is initialized by chemical hydrolysis [83] of polymeric PLA into oligomers that are then transformed into carbon dioxide and water by environmental microorganisms producing specific enzymes.…”

Effect of Agar/AgNP Composite Film Packaging on Refrigerated Beef Loin Quality

“…One of the major concerns about using such packaging materials is insufficient knowledge about the safety and toxicity of AgNPs [20]. Although AgNPs may kill human cells, as shown in vitro [49], AgNPs-impregnated cellulose nanofibril composite films have shown no significant cytotoxicity to human epithelial cell or colon cell lines [19,50]. There is little information about the migration or release of AgNPs from biopolymers to food surfaces and their possible risks to human health [51].…”

“…Meanwhile, in this study, a green synthesis method was applied to prepare an agar/AgNP complex using citrate as a reducing agent and agar as a capping agent to overcome the toxicological behavior of silver and its compounds. Eco-friendly green chemistry methodologies to obtain metal nanoparticles and biopolymer-based composites are well known to possibly eliminate toxic chemicals and allow bio-nanocomposites in food packaging and various biological applications [19,34]. The practical use of AgNP-containing films in food packaging applications may raise concerns from a food safety point of view.…”

“…Silver nanoparticles have many applications in packaging and medical fields because of their unique properties, such as large specific surface area and strong antimicrobial activity with high stability [17]. Due to the potent antimicrobial properties of the biopolymer-based films containing AgNPs, they can be applied to various types of food packaging to prevent microbial growth and extend the shelf-life of food products [18,19]. In addition to their potent and broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, the benefits of using AgNPs in biopolymer packaging are associated with few adverse effects on the sensory properties of foods and the potential for increased consumer acceptance [20].…”

Advances in Nanomaterials-Based Electrochemical Biosensors for Foodborne Pathogen Detection

“…Generally, 0D nanomaterials comprise nanoparticles, usually metal or metal oxide nanoparticles [24][25][26], carbon and quantum dots [27,28] with nanoscale dimensions. Metal nanoparticles, most commonly gold nanoparticles, are often selected for application in electrochemical biosensors for detection of foodborne pathogens due to their high conductivity and biocompatibility and retention of biomolecule activity over time [29,30]. Quantum dots (QDs) have great potential for application in small size electrochemical biosensing devices due to their small compact size and good and stable performance [31].…”