An antimicrobial packaging system encompasses any packaging technique used to control microbial growth in food products. Application of antimicrobial packaging can be in the form of film packaging or direct surface coating.  The purposes for using antimicrobial film or coating are to inactivate foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms present in food products, thus enhancing their safety and extending their shelf life.  Either method has advantages and disadvantages. Antimicrobial film packaging must come into direct contact with the surface of food to exert an antimicrobial effect.  The direct coating method may be more suitable for foods with irregular shapes or rough surfaces, where films cannot directly contact food surfaces without vacuum-packaging. However, preparation of coating solutions and coating/drying procedures might slow down production speed. In contrast, antimicrobial films can be customized within current film manufacturing lines, pre-made by a packaging company, and used as regular packaging materials. In this presentation, side-to-side comparisons will be used to evaluate the difference in antimicrobial effectiveness between antimicrobial films and coatings. For example, when 150 micro liter mustard oil with 1-gram chitosan was used to directly coating on grape tomatoes, 3.5 log reduction of Salmonella populations were obtained while similar reduction was achieved when 150 micro liter mustard oil released from a composite chitosan package film. However, 150 micro liter mustard oil encapsulated in 1-gram polylactic acid only reduced 0.5 log of Salmonella. These case studies discussed in the presentation will provide valuable information for researchers and food processors to make a choice for a suitable method based on their preference, convenience, availability, and cost effectiveness.

Film packaging or direct coating: Which is the better antimicrobial packaging method?

ACS Spring Meeting 2021

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.