Development and Characterization of Yeast-Incorporated Antimicrobial Cellulose Biofilms for Edible Food Packaging Application.

Omar Mohammad Atta,Muhammad Wajid Ullah,Mohamed F Awad,Mazhar Ul-Islam,Fazli Subhan,Abeer Ahmed Qaed Ahmed,Sehrish Manan,Guang Yang

doi:10.3390/polym13142310

Abstract

The unique properties and advantages of edible films over conventional food packaging have led the way to their extensive exploration in recent years. Moreover, the incorporation of bioactive components during their production has further enhanced the intrinsic features of packaging materials. This study was aimed to develop edible and bioactive food packaging films comprising yeast incorporated into bacterial cellulose (BC) in conjunction with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and glycerol (Gly) to extend the shelf life of packaged food materials. First, yeast biomass and BC hydrogels were produced by Meyerozyma guilliermondii (MT502203.1) and Gluconacetobacter xylinus (ATCC53582), respectively, and then the films were developed ex situ by mixing 30 wt.% CMC, 30 wt.% Gly, 2 wt.% yeast dry biomass, and 2 wt.% BC slurry. FE-SEM observation showed the successful incorporation of Gly and yeast into the fibrous cellulose matrix. FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the development of composite films through chemical interaction between BC, CMC, Gly, and yeast. The developed BC/CMC/Gly/yeast composite films showed high water solubility (42.86%). The yeast-incorporated films showed antimicrobial activities against three microbial strains, including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Saccharomyces aureus, by producing clear inhibition zones of 16 mm, 10 mm, and 15 mm, respectively, after 24 h. Moreover, the films were non-toxic against NIH-3T3 fibroblast cells. Finally, the coating of oranges and tomatoes with BC/CMC/Gly/yeast composites enhanced the shelf life at different storage temperatures. The BC/CMC/Gly/yeast composite film-coated oranges and tomatoes demonstrated acceptable sensory features such as odor and color, not only at 6 °C but also at room temperature and further elevated temperatures at 30 °C and 40 °C for up to two weeks. The findings of this study indicate that the developed BC/CMC/Gly/yeast composite films could be used as edible packaging material with high nutritional value and distinctive properties related to the film component, which would provide protection to foods and extend their shelf life, and thus could find applications in the food industry.

Highlights

In addition to the parental role of food as a commodity for nutrition, presently, food is considered as a regional or cultural ambassador
A naked-eye observation showed that the bacterial cellulose (BC)/carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/Gly/yeast composite films did not contain any fragile areas or bubbles and pores
The BC/CMC/Gly/yeast composite film demonstrated antibacterial activity by producing clear inhibition zones of 16 mm, 10 mm, and 15 mm against E. coli, P. aeruginosa, and S. aureus, respectively, which was significantly higher than the negative control (** p < 0.01) and lower than the positive control (* p < 0.05). These results further demonstrate that the BC/CMC/Gly/yeast composite film possesses antibacterial activity against both Grampositive (S. aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (P. aeruginosa and E. coli)

Summary

Introduction

In addition to the parental role of food as a commodity for nutrition, presently, food is considered as a regional or cultural ambassador. Food packaging is defined as the coating or enclosing of food items within some bioactive materials with the aim to prevent them from physical, chemical, and biological contaminations, and increasing their shelf life [3]. The usage of edible films and food coatings have been shown to improve food safety, add value to edible polymer products, and minimize the use of non-degradable packaging materials such as plastics. The edible film is distinguished from food products during the food production and implementation process. The edible films protect the consumable food products from deterioration by slowing down the drought and providing selective barriers to moisture, breathing suppression, gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, improving texture, helping to keep the volatile compounds, and preventing microbial growth on food surface [5]

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