Carboxymethyl cellulose‐based nanocomposites reinforced with montmorillonite and ε‐poly‐l‐lysine for antimicrobial active food packaging

Abstract

Traditional packaging materials with single function or weak activity cannot meet the requirements of active packaging. In this study, antimicrobial carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)‐based nanocomposites containing montmorillonite (MMT) and ε‐poly‐(l‐lysine) (ε‐PL) were prepared by solution casting method. The morphological, optical, mechanical, barrier, thermal, and antimicrobial properties of the resulted ternary nanocomposites were investigated. The surface morphology of the films was dependent on the contents of the ε‐PL used. The incorporation of MMT and ε‐PL into CMC matrix improved the UV barrier property, tensile strength, hydrophobicity, and water vapor barrier property. When incorporation of 7.5 wt % ε‐PL, the tensile strength increased more than threefold and the water vapor permeability decreased by about 35% compared with pure CMC film, the water contact angle reached up to the highest value of 65.38°. The ε‐PL incorporated CMC/MMT films exhibited good antimicrobial activities against Gram‐positive (Staphylococus aureus) and Gram‐negative (Escherichia coli) bacteria and fungi (Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus oligosporus). Microbial growth inhibition rate of above 90% was obtained when the content of ε‐PL got up to 7.5 wt %. In addition, CMC/MMT/ε‐PL7.5 wt % film‐forming solution having the appropriate properties was used as coating for the strawberries preservation, the shelf life of strawberries was extended for 2 days. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2020, 137, 48782.

Recent developments in antimicrobial and antifouling coatings to reduce or prevent contamination and cross‐contamination of food contact surfaces by bacteria

“…Fourth, some antibacterial agents are toxic and not suitable for use in food contact surfaces with prolonged exposure to food commodities. To reduce any potential risk of chemical leaching into food, antimicrobials of biological origin such as essential oils, natural phenolics (e.g., coumarin, gallic acid, resveratrol, quercetin, and tannic acid), natural cationic amines (e.g., lecithin from egg and soybean, chitosan from crustacean shells), and natural enzymes (e.g., lysozyme from egg and milk) have typically been utilized as active ingredients in these coatings (Benbettaïeb et al., 2020; Bruni et al., 2020; Busolo & Lagaron, 2015; Diaz‐Galindo et al., 2020; Fortunati et al., 2016; Glaser et al., 2019; Goudar et al., 2020; Halim et al., 2018; He, Fei, et al., 2020; Hosseini et al., 2019; Huang et al., 2020; Imran et al., 2012; Kwon et al., 2017; Lamarra et al., 2020; Li, Yan, et al., 2020; Liu et al., 2020; Lou et al., 2021; Luzi et al., 2019; Martinez‐Abad et al., 2012; Menezes et al., 2019; Milovanovic et al., 2018; Muriel‐Galet et al., 2014; Pan et al., 2019; Picchio et al., 2018; Tongdeesoontorn et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2019; Wen et al., 2016; Yadav et al., 2020, 2021; Zhan et al., 2020). Also, implementation of relatively low‐toxicity metals and their ions such as silver and copper in coatings for food contact surfaces has been commonly reported in the literature (Bahrami et al., 2019; Ferreira et al., 2019; Kim et al., 2019; Lee et al., 2019; Martinez‐Abad et al., 2012; Menezes et al., 2019).…”

“…In a recent study, researchers fabricated a novel, edible film from composites of carboxymethyl cellulose with small clay montmorillonite particles that were decorated with ε‐poly‐ l ‐lysine (He, Fei, et al., 2020). These polymer composite films were shown to have antifungal properties, demonstrated against Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus oligosporus .…”

“…These polymer composite films were shown to have antifungal properties, demonstrated against Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus oligosporus . These coatings were applied directly to produce, and were shown to significantly extend the shelf life of fresh strawberries under storage conditions (He, Fei, et al., 2020). Similarly, nisin, a lantibiotic‐type bacteriocin produced by the bacterium Lactococcus lactis , has been incorporated into food packaging films made of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose.…”

Plant gums as the functional compounds for edible films and coatings in the food industry: A review

“…These derivatives can be used sufficiently to design food packaging films. 56 ε-poly-(L-lysine) (ε-PL) was incorporated into CMC-MMT film by He et al 30 The ε-PL weight percent relative to CMC was varied (0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, 10.0, and 12.5 wt%).…”

Recent breakthroughs of antibacterial and antiviral protective polymeric materials during COVID-19 pandemic and after pandemic: Coating, packaging, and textile applications

“…Fillers enhanced the antimicrobial, mechanical, and UV barrier properties. Carboxymethyl cellulose/MMT/ε-PL nanocomposite films demonstrated respectable antimicrobial performance toward fungi ( botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus oligosporus ) S.aureus , and E.coli [ 54 ].…”