Development of a novel antimicrobial food packaging film containing silver nanoparticles

Abstract

In this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were incorporated into bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) by a reduction (R) and UV-assisted (UV) methods with the addition of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to prepare an environmentally friendly antimicrobial AgNP/PVA/BNC film. The flexibility of BNC was greatly improved by mixing with 3% PVA solution. The films exhibited good mechanical property and higher oxygen barrier capacity. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed the surface structure of the films and the uniform incorporation of AgNPs. Antimicrobial activities against Escherichia coli O157:H7 were observed from both R and UV films. The UV film showed a higher antimicrobial activity than the R film in all the antibacterial experiments. Up to 7 and 3 log CFU/mL of reductions were observed in liquid medium and on raw beef, respectively. Moreover, a beef shelf-life test suggested that the films were able to inhibit the growth of bacteria on raw beef for at least 10 days at 4[degrees]C. The physical and antimicrobial properties described above give the AgNP/PVA/BNC films a potential in application of food packaging.