Antimicrobial biodegradable chitosan-based composite Nano-layers for food packaging

• Published in: International journal of biological macromolecules 2020-08, Vol.157, p.212-219
• Main Authors: Pandey, Vivek Kumar, Upadhyay, Siddh Nath, Niranjan, Keshavan, Mishra, Pradeep Kumar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - chemistry; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; Antimicrobial food packaging; Chitosan - chemistry; Electrospinning; Escherichia coli - drug effects; Fibrous composite nano-layers; Food Microbiology; Food Packaging; Listeria monocytogenes - drug effects; Meat - microbiology; Meat packaging; Metal Nanoparticles - chemistry; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; Nanocomposites - chemistry; Polyvinyl Alcohol - chemistry; Silver - chemistry; Silver - pharmacology; Silver nanoparticles; X-Ray Diffraction
• ISSN: 0141-8130; 1879-0003
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.04.149

Stable silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) of size 80 ± 11 nm produced by chitosan (CH) mediated green synthesis were blended with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to form electrospun fibrous composite nano-layers (FCNLs). The chitosan acted as the stabilising as well as an antimicrobial agent in combination with the AgNPs which were characterised using UV–visible spectrophotometry, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The crystallinity and chemical nature of the electrospun composite was characterised by using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and FTIR spectroscopy, respectively, and its hydrophobicity was characterised by measuring the water contact angle. The electrospun composite showed effective antimicrobial activity against Listeria monocytogenes (gram +ve) and Escherichia coli (gram –ve) bacterial species. The electrospun composite, when tested as packaging material for meat, showed bio-activity and extended the meat shelf-life by one week. The electrospun nanocomposite is able to inhibit microbial degradation of packaged food and extend its keeping quality in an eco-friendly manner. [Display omitted] •Chitosan-based fibrous composite nano-layers synthesised for food packaging.•Composite packaging possesses antimicrobial property.•The packaged meat displayed extended shelf-life and better organoleptic quality.•The composite packaging can replace plastics and have low environmental impact.