Dados do Trabalho

Título

POLYMERIC FILMS INCORPORATED WITH NATURAL ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Introdução

The increasing consumer demand for high-quality, fresh, healthy, and microbiologically safe food, coupled with growing concerns about the environmental impact of non-renewable polymers, has driven significant changes in the food packaging industry. Consequently, the development of antimicrobial-active packaging has been widely researched. This study aims to develop an active film using modified starch isolated from jackfruit seeds, incorporating pink peppercorn essential oil and nisin, and to determine its antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus O46 and Staphylococcus aureus EMRSA 15.

Material e Métodos

Antimicrobial films were produced using 3% modified jackfruit seed starch (42.25% amylose w/v), 40% glycerol, 5% pink peppercorn essential oil, and 1% Tween 80, based on starch mass (w/w). Nisin was added to the film-forming solution at final concentrations of 0.065 mg/ml (N1) and 0.13 mg/ml (N2). The antimicrobial activity of the films and their release kinetics were evaluated using the agar diffusion method.

Resultados e Discussão

All bioplastic films containing nisin showed antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus O46 strains. However, no activity was evidenced against Staphylococcus aureus EMRSA 15. The halo sizes ranged from 0 to 16 mm, with the N2 treatment exhibiting a median of 14 mm and the N1 treatment a median of 12 mm, indicating a concentration-dependent inhibitory effect. This behavior was observed on days 7 and 15 of refrigerated film storage, showing that nisin activity was not compromised when incorporated into the starch film matrix. Furthermore, release kinetics assays revealed a dose-dependent effect, indicating that the release rate of nisin from the starch film can be controlled and optimized to increase its efficacy in various applications.

Conclusão

The active bioplastic films developed in this study offer a promising, efficient, and sustainable solution for preserving minimally processed foods.