Edible film may kill
bacteria in refrigerated foods
Source of Article: http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/Quality-Safety/Edible-film-may-kill-bacteria-in-refrigerated-foods By Jane Byrne, 18-Mar-2009
Lactoperoxidase (LPS) incorporated
edible film has good potential for bacterial inhibition use in refrigerated
foods as well as meat, poultry and seafood, claims a new study in the
journal, Food Microbiology and Safety.
Antimicrobial edible films and coatings have received attention since
they have a good potential to delay microbial spoilage of food and to reduce
the risk of surface contamination of food by microorganisms. According to the researchers, incorporation of biopreservatives,
especially bacteriocins and antimicrobial enzymes, as well as plant extracts
into edible films have gained significant interest in the food industry due
to their greater acceptance by the increasing number of consumers seeking
‘natural’ products. The authors of the study said that the enzyme, LPS, which is often
used to improve the microbial quality of milk and cheese, has a broad
antimicrobial spectrum, and they added that the concept of using the enzyme
in antimicrobial packaging is quite novel. Stability They said that LPS binds and immobilizes effectively onto films
following cross-linking and it shows appropriate stability and activity at a
broad temperature and pH range. In this research project, the antimicrobial activity of LPS
incorporated into alginate films and its components was tested on different
bacteria including E. coli, Listeria innocua, and Pseudomonas fluorescens in
the presence of different concentrations of H2O2 (0.2, 0.4, and 0.8
millimoles (mM) and KSCN (1, 2, and 4 mM), explained the scientists. The specific objectives of this research, they said, were to determine
the effective concentrations of LPS components against the test bacteria. Results The study showed that the antimicrobial activity of the LPS system on
target bacteria changed according to the concentrations of KSCN and H2O2. The scientists said that the results indicated that the growth of all
tested bacteria was prevented for a six hour period through application of
the LPS system in the presence of 0.4 or 0.8mM H2O2 and 4mM KSCN. They added that growth of pathogens L. innocua and P.
fluorescens was inhibited during a 24 hour incubation
period in the presence of 0.8mM H2O2 and 4mM KSCN; however E. coli
growth could not be restrained for 24 hours under the same conditions. The researchers maintain that with 0.2 mM H2O2 and 1 to 4 mM KSCN, a
considerable inhibitory effect was obtained only on P. fluorescens,
with the decreasing order of the resistance of studied bacteria to the LPS
system as follows: E. coli, L. innocua, and P. fluorescens. The authors concluded that the duration of the antimicrobial effect of
the developed LPS system would be extended when the alginate films are applied
to refrigerated foods. Source: Food Microbiology and Safety
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