Physicochemical Properties and Antibacterial Effect of Lysozyme Incorporated in a Wheat-Based Active Packaging Film

Abstract

In addition to offering a host of health benefits, antimicrobial (AM) wheat-based packaging is a promising form of active food packaging with great economic and environmental potential. The main objective of this study is to develop a formulation of AM wheat-based film in which the active compound, lysozyme, is incorporated into the polymeric material. A solution casting method was used in the film preparation, and lysozyme was incorporated prior to casting. The resultant film is slightly less opaque, more translucent and whitish in appearance, implying that the AM film could retain similar property with the initial opacity value of the wheat-based film. The water uptake of wheat-film is reduced with the incorporation of lysozyme. The reduction in moisture content of AM film indicates a relationship between lysozyme and water molecules in the diffusion mechanism throughout the film matrices. This film helps to reduce the growth of E. coli and B. subtilis to 1.74 and 3.48 log CFU/mL, respectively, for an incubation of 48 h. FTIR analysis implies the consistency of the chemical composition and structure of the AM film compared to the control film, which indicates that the addition of lysozyme into the wheat-based film did not affect or alter the carbonyl function groups of the wheat-based film. The study will help the researcher to discover and understand wheat-based films for incorporating antimicrobial properties and to explore new matrices for further development.