Journal of Food Processing & Technology

The modification of poly vinyl acetate (PVA) substrates and their improved antimicrobial activity for use in active packaging applications

International Conference on Food Safety and Regulatory Measures

August 17-19, 2015 Birmingham, UK

Sibu C Padmanabhan1, Shafrina Azlin Hasim1, Malco Cruz Romero1, Joe Kerry1 and Michael A Morris2

1University College Cork, Ireland 2Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Posters-Accepted Abstracts: J Food Process Technol

Abstract:

Prolonging the shelf life of food is one of the biggest challenges the food industry is facing, which when improved could decrease food decomposition, add value and will also help ease food sustainability concerns. This contribution presents a novel method using pattern forming templates to facilitate maximum anti-microbial functionality loading onto PVA substrates. The anti-microbial activity of a modified natural biopolymer chitosan and silver nanoparticles have been integrated into the PVA substrates and compared with respect to their activity against pure cultures of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas fluorescens. As evidenced by these results, it is proposed that silver nanoparticles in combination with modified chitosan have potential in improving the antimicrobial activity of packaging materials.

Biography :

Sibu C Padmanabhan has completed his PhD from Cochin University of Science and Technology and Post-Doctoral studies from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. He is currently working as Reseach Fellow at University College Cork, Ireland. He has published more than 15 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as Referee for a number of RSC and Elsevier Journals.

Email: ma.morris@ucc.ie