A new film made from the shells of crustaceans and shellfish, essential oils and nanoparticles protects sensitive fruit from premature spoilage. It was developed by scientists in Canada.
Québec produces more strawberries than any other Canadian province. Strawberries are particularly fragile and difficult to keep fresh. Now Canadian professor Monique Lacroix and her team from the National Institute for Scientific Research (INRS) in Québec has developed a packaging film that Keep strawberries fresh for up to 12 days can.
Biofilm with antifungal and antimicrobial properties
The innovative biofilm is used, among other things. made from chitosan, a naturally occurring biopolymer found in shellfish. This by-product of the food industry contains important antifungal properties that curb mould growth. The packaging film also contains essential oils and nanoparticles, both of which have antimicrobial properties.
The film material developed for this packaging is effective against several types of pathogens. The team of scientists tested the film on four microbial cultures.
„For example, our work has shown the effectiveness of the film against Aspergillus niger, a highly resistant mould that causes considerable losses in strawberry production.“, Monique Lacroix, Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS)
However, the new bioactive packaging also showed antimicrobial effectiveness against the pathogens Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella typhimurium, which are caused by contamination during food handling and also represent a major problem for the food industry.
Source: INRS
