Protein‐based natural antibacterial materials and their applications in food preservation

Abstract

Summary Plastics materials used for food packaging are recalcitrant, leading to a growing global environmental problem, which arouses the attention of environmental protection departments in many countries. Therefore, to meet the increasing demand for sustainable and environment‐friendly consumer products, it is necessary for the food industry to develop natural antibacterial materials for food preservation. This review summarizes the common biodegradable natural antimicrobial agents and their applications in food preservation; as well as an overview of five commonly used biodegradable protein‐based polymers, such as zein, soy protein isolate, gelatin and whey protein, with special emphasis on the advantages of protein‐based biopolymers and their applications in food packaging industry.

Overview of Food Antimicrobial Packaging

“…Natural antimicrobial agents/compounds refer to a class of substances extracted from plants and animals or produced by microorganisms. These active agents may perform antagonistic actions against bacteria, viruses, yeast, or molds [18]. They also show anti-insect and antioxidant activity [19].…”

“…The food industry has used typically mainly chemical preservatives, such as hydrogen peroxide, sorbate, sorbic acid, benzoate, benzoic acid, and nitrite, to inhibit the growth of microorganisms responsible for food spoilage. Commercial preservatives may extend the shelf-life of food products; however, they may have unfavorable effects on the sensory properties of food [18,20]. In order to extend the shelf-life of food and reduce health hazards, natural antimicrobial compounds, such as essential oils, propolis, lactoferrin, glucose oxidase enzyme bacteriocins, and probiotics extracted from animals, plants or produced by microorganisms could replace typical chemical preservatives.…”

“…In order to extend the shelf-life of food and reduce health hazards, natural antimicrobial compounds, such as essential oils, propolis, lactoferrin, glucose oxidase enzyme bacteriocins, and probiotics extracted from animals, plants or produced by microorganisms could replace typical chemical preservatives. They could be used by the food packaging industry due to their nontoxic character [18]. Essential oils (EOs) play an important role in the design of antimicrobial packaging materials, as they exhibit a high and specific antimicrobial efficacy against a broad range of foodborne pathogens [3].…”

Recent Advances in Bio-Based Smart Active Packaging Materials

“…Traditional methods such as heating, freezing or drying are effective but still inadequate in inhibiting microbial growth. Some researchers have incorporated antimicrobial agents into polymer films to obtain antimicrobial packaging that can inhibit the growth of microorganisms and also ensure food safety [ 9 , 10 ]. The existence of antimicrobial packaging largely extends the shelf-life of food products, but it does not prevent food spoilage, which can occur at any time and leaves consumers unable to judge the quality of the food.…”

Multifunctional nanoreactors with nutrient consumption and ROS generation capabilities for antibacterial and skin repair

“…Once the skin is damaged, a large number of external bacteria will invade and cause infection. In order to treat skin wound infection, researchers have developed many antibacterial materials, 3,4 mainly including natural antibacterial materials, [5][6][7] organic antibacterial materials, [8][9][10] and inorganic antibacterial materials. [11][12][13][14][15] Among various antibacterial materials, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have attracted much attention in antibacterial therapy due to their high porosity, large specific surface area, and easy modification.…”