Antibacterial properties of coaxial spinning membrane of methyl ferulate/zein and its preservation effect on sea bass

Abstract

Methyl ferulate is a new natural antibacterial agent with strong activity and low toxicity. It has good application prospects in food preservation. In this paper, the antibacterial activity of methyl ferulate against Shigella putrefaciens was verified, and it was embedded into zein by electro-spinning technology to prepare fiber membranes. The addition of methyl ferulate could improve the tensile strength of zein fiber membrane and decrease the crystallinity of the membrane, which was mainly a physical combination. The fiber membrane improved the thermal stability of methyl ferulate. The water contact angle (WCA) decreased to 54.85°. The results showed that methyl feru-late in fiber membrane could be released slowly, gradually exerting its antibacterial activity. After coating perch with methyl ferulate/zein fiber membrane, the growth of microorganisms in perch meat was inhibited, and the pH value and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB‐N)content were effectively increased. In a word, methyl ferulate had antibacterial activity in the fiber film, which was able to achieve a sustained release effect in the process of fish packaging, prolonging its antibacterial activ-ity, and having preservation effect on sea bass; thus, it could be used in food packaging.