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Abstract
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) based coatings entrapping either living bacteriocin-producer Enterococcus casseliflavusIM 416K1 bacteria or Enterocin 416K1 have been prepared and applied to poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) films. The antimicrobial activity of coated PET films was evaluated against Listeria monocytogenes NCTC 10888 by qualitative agar diffusion assays and by direct contact with artificially contaminated food samples (wurstel and seasoned cheese) stored at 4 °C and 22 °C. Anti-listerial activity of both coatings was observed for both tests. However, the live-enterococcus doped coatings showed a much more remarkable anti-listerial activity than enterocin doped ones. Interestingly, live-enterococcus doped coatings lead to a strong decrease of L. monocytogenes viable counts even at 22 °C, indicating that they are able to contrast efficiently the fast L. monocytogenesgrowth occurring at this temperature in wurstel samples. In this respect, they can be considered smart coatings, being able to be responsive towards an accidental rise of temperature during food storage. The capability of bacteria to survive for a long time can also assure a long lasting antibacterial activity.
Highlights
The food-borne diseases are a widespread and growing public health and economic problem
Most of these compounds have been entrapped in different food packaging materials and the retention of their antibacterial activity after inclusion has usually been demonstrated. This journal is a The Royal Society of Chemistry 2011. Following this type of approach, in a previous study we evaluated the anti-listerial activity of an organic–inorganic hybrid coating entrapping Enterocin 416K1,12 the bacteriocin produced by Enterococcus casseliflavus IM 416K1, a strain isolated from Italian sausages,[19,20] a food widely used in snacks
Polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) is a hydrophilic polymer which can be swelled/dissolved by water; this specific characteristic of PVOH can allow to create a friendly environment for the survival of bacteria and for this reason it has already been used to entrap living microorganisms.[22,23,24,25,26,27]
Summary
The food-borne diseases are a widespread and growing public health and economic problem. Recent modifications in food production and processing practices and the ever-changing eating habits of the consumers are important factors for the food-borne infections.[2] For example, the trend towards consumption of minimally processed, ready-to-eat foods and refrigerated or frozen food products has affected the incidence of listeriosis,[3] an infection associated with a mortality up to 30%, even when an adequate antimicrobial treatment is administered. Listeria monocytogenes is a ubiquitous pathogen that has become an important cause of human food-borne infections worldwide and that primarily affect immuno-compromised individuals and pregnant women.[4] Since refrigeration is one of the most common ways to increase
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