Development of cellulose-based bactericidal nanocomposites containing silver nanoparticles and their use as active food packaging

Abstract

The use of nanomaterials, including metallic as active fillers in polymeric nanocomposites for food packaging has been extensively investigated. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), in particular, have been exploited for technological applications as bactericidal agents. In this paper, AgNPs were incorporated into a hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) matrix for applications as food packaging materials. The average sizes of the silver nanoparticles were 41nm and 100nm, respectively. Mechanical analyses and water vapor barrier properties of the HPMC/AgNPs nanocomposites were analysed. The best results were observed for films containing smaller (41nm) AgNPs. The antibacterial properties of HPMC/AgNPs thin films were evaluated based on the diameter of inhibition zone in a disk diffusion test against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). The disk diffusion studies revealed a greater bactericidal effectiveness for nanocomposites films containing 41nm Ag nanoparticles.