Antibacterial effect of silver incorporated polyethylene blown film for active packaging use

Abstract

Food packaging is used to maintain the quality and safety of food products during storage and transportation, and to extend the shelf-life of food products. This is done by preventing unfavourable factors or conditions such as oxygen, light, moisture, spoilage microorganisms, chemical contaminants, mechanical resistance, etc. To be able to do so, packaging materials provide physical protection and also create the proper physicochemical conditions for each product necessary to obtain adequate shelf life and maintain food quality and safety. We report the preparation of polyethylene blown films containing silver nanoparticles by using the ultrasound technique. The silver nitrate was mixed with the surfactant oleic acid (AO) and sonicated for 30 minutes. This solution was mixed with polyethylene using a rotary mixer for 12 hours. Nanocomposites of low density polyethylene (LDPE) with linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) blends and silver nanoparticles were prepared under melt in a twin screw extruder, using PE-g-MA as compatibilizer agent, ethylene graft maleic anhydride copolymer. The films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), percentage reduction of colony-forming units (CFU). The bacterial effect of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were assessed in detail.