Most people have heard the myth that bacteria in raw meat can cause you to turn into a zombie - obviously, that is not true.
However, bacteria in raw meat and food products can make you sick which is where the use of Antimicrobial coatings come in handy.
So what are Antimicrobial coatings exactly?
Well Antimicrobial coatings prevent or kill the growth of harmful bacteria, not just in food packaging, but across many fields of work. Essentially to prevent the growth of bacteria, the coating’s surface must be hydrophobic to prevent moisture and therefore becomes not the ideal surface for bacterial growth.
In this blog post, Dr. Javiera Rubilar - who actively works with antimicrobial coating - answers some of the most asked questions about the different uses of these coatings especially in food packaging! We learn about key applications of the coatings technology on packaging as well as the relationship with consumers in a pandemic-ridden world.
We would like to thank Dr. Javiera Rubilar of Penn Colour Inc for taking the time to participate in this interview. The contents of interview are provided below:
Q: What is your role at Penn Color, Inc, and how does it relate to antimicrobial coatings?
A: I joined Penn Color on March 4 of 2019 as an Additive Development Scientist. Penn Color has plants all around the world. In Hatfield, Pennsylvania they have a dry plant (solid and liquid masterbatches) and a wet plant (coatings and inks) and I have been working in both, but mainly in the dry plant in the Research and Development group. My experience so far has been really fascinating and positive in every aspect. My role is to develop masterbatches with different active ingredients. The polymers and the active ingredients have no limits at Penn Color. Some of the applications are construction, outdoor durable products, residential interior, commercial interior, food packaging, consumed goods, film, sheet, coating, printing inks, etc. Not only can we match any color in the world, but we can also give different functionalities to the polymer. Just to mention some of them: UV absorber, slip additive, anti-block, conductive, anti-stat, anti-fogging, light diffuser, product release, nucleation, IV booster, antimicrobial, etc.
I have more than 10 years of experience in developing antimicrobial active packaging, not only through the use of extrusion but also with the coating process as well (as edible and non-edible films). This year Penn Color started to develop coating and injection molding parts with antimicrobial properties, but we are still working on the optimization of the best recipe for the consumer’s satisfaction.
Q: What is your area of research expertise regarding antimicrobial coatings? Can you tell us how you first got into this field?
A: 10 years ago, I was completing my Ph.D. thesis at Universidade do Algarve and the focus was to develop an antimicrobial active packaging for refrigerated food that was not processed by heat. Salmon or strawberries, for instance, both need to travel long distances to arrive at the target market and because they do not have a thermal process to preserve and extend the shelf-life, it is very difficult to travel to attractive and far-away markets such as China, Japan, etc.
By the end of my research, I developed an edible film with a natural antimicrobial that could extend the shelf life of the refrigerated product.
Q: What are the benefits of using antimicrobial coatings on food packaging technology?
A: There are several benefits of antimicrobial coating or packaging. One of the primary one's is to extend the shelf life of the product.
Q: What are common antimicrobial agents used in the formulation of the coating?
A: Essential oils, Quaternary ammonium compound (without migration si-quats), metals, etc.
Q: What is the process of applying antimicrobial coatings to food packaging?
A: There are different ways to incorporate the active agents or the antimicrobial compound in the package:
One of them is the incorporation of a sachet. The disadvantage of this system is rejection by the consumers because they see a strange object within the package or the risk that children consume the sachet by mistake. Nevertheless, the incorporation of sachets that release sulfur dioxide (SO2) are very useful when we export grapes.
To avoid this disadvantage, an active compound within the polymer matrix was developed. The consideration for this system is that we need to determine an active compound that is resistant at high temperatures.
You can work with an active compound that is susceptible to high temperature, but in this case, you need to use the system of spray or coating after the extrusion process.
Polymers with antimicrobial properties like polyamide irradiated and chitosan.
Chemical immobilization of antimicrobial packaging
Q: Assuming the coating had been applied to a packaged product, are there any health risks posed to the consumer after they have ingested the food product?
A: All the additives in contact with food should be FDA approved or generally recognized as safe (GRAS), and therefore shouldn’t be toxic.
Q: What are some common misconceptions that people have regarding the addition of these coatings?
A: One of the misconceptions is that the customer thinks that it could be a poor quality product because of the antimicrobial efficacy of the coating/packaging. Nevertheless, they need to know that the food producer always needs to start with good quality in their raw material.
Q: What are the environmental risks associated with antimicrobial coatings? How are these risks mitigated?
A: Most of the antimicrobial food coatings need to be approved by the FDA in the US or be part of the positive list in European Union legislation. For that reason, the minimum for the environment should be low. Nevertheless, some antimicrobials derived from metals could have some impact if and only if the truck that transports the “pure raw material” were submerged in the ocean, which in that case could have a significant impact on ocean ecosystems.
Q: With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, do you believe that packaging manufacturers would benefit from using antimicrobial coatings on their products?
A: Sure, there is a win-win with this technology; the extension of the shelf life of the product will allow the product to arrive at new markets such as China and Japan. Moreover, it will reduce food waste.
Q:. What do you believe is the future of antimicrobial coatings in packaging technology?
A: The increased consumer demand for minimally processed food with no additives led to the development of antimicrobial active food packaging systems. Antimicrobial packaging films are effective for inhibition of pathogenic microorganisms, but can change the character of the packaging film and reduce its applicability. According to the researches in this area, it’s obvious that antimicrobial food packaging systems are progressing toward achieving the required food safety and quality, with fewer foodstuff additives, longer shelf-lives, and minimal processing.
The Big Picture
The Antimicrobial coating field continues to grow with new technological advances every day. It's no secret that Antimicrobial coatings will be dependent on in the near future and we cannot wait to see what innovations are in store!
What Comes Next?
Next week, we will publish our final blog post in anticipation our upcoming webinar! Attend our Live Webinar on November 30, 2020 @10am
Sign up here: (ProTech) https://ryerson.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_xvzUh3uHQq-_-Za-jUsuwg
Check out our social media accounts!
Instagram: @protechpackaging
Linkedin: @protech-packaging-solutions
Acknowledgments:
Thank you to Dr. Javiera Rubilar of Penn Colour Inc for her participation in our interview! We would also like to thank Zuha Waqar for creating the list of questions asked in the interview.
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References
Images:
[1]https://unsplash.com/photos/hf_i6mm88pM
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