A study by scientists from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the University of Lleida in Spain scheduled to be published in the Nov. 29 issue of the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reports about a breakthrough innovation in edible food wraps targeted to inhibit E coli contamination.
Facts provided point out that the antimicrobial food wraps are made of fruit and vegetable purees and the wraps, which were subjected to clinical trials were composed of apple puree and oregano.
While the intensity of the antimicrobial films prove to be an achievement, what seems to be more challenging is the asserted functionality of the film as a produce spray, dip and as an addition to condiments along with the flexibility of the film to take-up other veggies and fruits to replace apple puree.
The vegetable-based antimicrobial films are not all conclusive in nature
. Until now the trials of the fruit-based antimicrobial film are restricted to E. coli O157:H7. Though it claims to have killed over 50 percent of sample bacteria in 3 minutes at concentrations as small as 0.034 percent, yet at the outset of a series of E coli contamination the antimicrobial films need to prove their versatility concerning food sustainability.
