Antimicrobial Starch-Based Film for Food Packaging Application

Abstract

Sago starch (Metroxylan sago) modified with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) incorporated with citric acid as an antimicrobial agent at the optimized ratio of 5:8:15 (%, w v–1) for starch: PVA: citric acid is synthesized. The starch-citrate film presents antimicrobial activity against the pathogenic food borne bacteria Salmonella thypimurium (S. thypimurium), Escherichia coli (E. coli) (O157:H7), and Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) and food fungus Aspergillus spp. and Rhizopus spp. The studies showed that 98–99% of food borne bacteria growth and 87–99% of fungal growth can be inhibited. Qualitative assessment of food shelf-life reveals that the starch-citrate film is more efficient to inhibit the microbial growth in cake and bread samples compared to commercial food wrappers, as the film can extend the shelf-life of the food products (10 days for cake and 40 days for bread). The potential application of this starch-citrate film as antimicrobial and eco-friendly bio-based food packaging application is therefore demonstrated.