The Potential Application of Antimicrobial Silver Polyvinyl Chloride Nanocomposite Films to Extend the Shelf-Life of Chicken Breast Fillets

Silver (Ag) nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesised and characterised, and their antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas fluorescens and microflora derived from raw chicken, beef or cooked ham was determined. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) films or antimicrobial Ag/PVC nanocomposite films were manufactured via a solvent casting method and the mechanical and thermal properties of these materials determined. Manufactured antimicrobial Ag/PVC nanocomposite films were used to wrap chicken breast fillets, followed by modified atmosphere packaging (using conventional laminates and employing a gas mix of 60 % N2/40 % CO2), and compared against PVC control films. In general, Gram-negative bacteria were more sensitive to Ag NPs than Gram-positive bacteria and microflora isolated from meat products were more resistant than pure culture bacteria. However, the most sensitive bacteria to Ag NPs were Pseudomonas fluorescens. No significant differences (p > 0.05) in tensile strength and elongation at break were observed, but glass transition temperatures (Tg) of Ag/PVC nanocomposite films were lower (p < 0.05) when compared to PVC control films. Results also indicated that antimicrobial Ag/PVC nanocomposite films significantly (p < 0.05) extended the shelf-life of chicken breast fillets and reduced lipid oxidation of chicken breast fillets compared to PVC-wrapped equivalents. Overall, results indicated that antimicrobial Ag/PVC nanocomposite films can potentially be used as antimicrobial packaging for food packaging applications.