Development of an antibacterial film for application in the food industry

摘要

In this study, the preparation of Low density polyethylene (LDPE)/ZnO nanocomposite and its antibacterial efficiency was analysed. The antibacterial property investigation was performed by colony count tests. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed to investigate the dispersion effect of LDPE-g-MAH copolymer. Two ZnO nanoparticles sizes were studied and their efficiency was first tested in water suspension. The results show that both an increase in mixing temperature and addition of copolymer improve the antibacterial efficiency of the polymer film. While the tests performed on the particle suspension allowed us to suggest that particles at a certain concentration act as oligoelements for Escherichia Coli (E.Coli), the films prepared with 2% weight of 200nm ZnO particles seem to correspond to that range of suspended particles concentration (<99mg/L). The tests have been mostly performed under dark conditions, which leads to minimal reactive oxygen species production and reduced antibacterial effect.