Polymers and Biopolymers with Antiviral Activity: Potential Applications for Improving Food Safety

Gastroenteritis and hepatitis, caused by human noroviruses (HuNoVs) and hepatitis A virus (HAV), respectively, are the most common illnesses resulting from the consumption of food contaminated with human enteric viruses. Food‐grade polymers can be tailor designed to improve food safety, either as no...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Comprehensive reviews in food science and food safety 2018-05, Vol.17 (3), p.754-768
Main Authors: Randazzo, Walter, Fabra, María José, Falcó, Irene, López‐Rubio, Amparo, Sánchez, Gloria
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Antimicrobial agents
Antiviral activity
Biopolymers
Food consumption
Food contamination
Food industry
Food processing industry
Food quality
Food safety
Foodborne pathogens
Gastroenteritis
Hepatitis
Hepatitis A
Microbiota
Packaging
Packaging materials
Polymers
Safety
Shelf life
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Summary:Gastroenteritis and hepatitis, caused by human noroviruses (HuNoVs) and hepatitis A virus (HAV), respectively, are the most common illnesses resulting from the consumption of food contaminated with human enteric viruses. Food‐grade polymers can be tailor designed to improve food safety, either as novel food‐packaging materials imparting active antimicrobial properties, applied in food contact surfaces to avoid cross‐contamination, or as edible coatings to increase fresh produce's shelf life. The incorporation of antimicrobial agents into food‐grade polymers can be used to control the food microbiota and even target specific foodborne pathogens to improve microbiological food safety and to enhance food quality. Enteric viruses are responsible for one fifth of acute gastroenteritis cases worldwide and the development of food‐grade polymers and biopolymers with antiviral activity for food applications is a topic of increased interest, both for academia and the food industry, even though developments are still limited. This review compiles existing studies in this widely unexplored area and highlights the potential of these developments to improve viral food safety.
ISSN:1541-4337
1541-4337
DOI:10.1111/1541-4337.12349