Application of antimicrobial plates in food packaging as an alternative way for food waste minimisation

Abstract

To minimise the food waste, this paper applied the antimicrobial plates produced from poly(butylene succinate) (PBS)/geraniol blend which was processed into two different microstructures. Experimental work was separated into three major parts. The first one was the determination of a suitable geraniol concentration by minimum inhibitory concentration and inhibitory clear zone techniques. After that a selected PBS/geraniol composition was then processed into the solid and porous antimicrobial plates of 15 mm in diameter and 2 mm in thickness. Finally, the solid and porous antimicrobial plates were inserted in bread package and evaluated the shelf-life extension performances. Experimental results indicated that a suitable geraniol composition was 8 wt%. Migration test confirmed that geraniol released from both solid and porous plates by more than 30 days. Shelf-life evaluation by counting the microorganisms indicated that applying antimicrobial plates in bread package was found to extend by around 5 and 10 days with solid and porous antimicrobial plates, respectively. In summary, both antimicrobial plates are possibly applied for bread shelf-life extension which easily inserts inside any food container. This is a practical use for retail and household stages.