Commercially, many packaged foods (e.g., fruit or vegetable salads, fresh juices, deli meats, pre-cooked pasta, store-prepared or repackaged food items as red meat, poultry, seafood, bottled juices and pastry products) are considered to be fresh.

However, since these foods are not sterile, bacterial problems affect their safety and shelf life. An aspect of the farm-to-table program that needs greater attention is the control of bacterial proliferation and cross contamination when the product moves through the distribution network. The package and absorbent pads used with raw meat contain exudate rich in pathogenic and spoilage bacteria. The failure of the package to retain this exudate can lead to cross contamination of other products, contamination of product preparation surfaces, and reduction of product shelf life.

An antibacterial food packaging system is one option to prevent growth of post-processing contaminatns and to extend shelf life. ICET Inc. has developed technologies to optimize synergistic antimicrobial systems and to incorporate them into packaging material.

Yeast and Mold Resistant Plastic
Figure 1: ICET treated PET bottles containing apple juice innoculated with Zygosaccharomyces yeast

Picture shows control and ICET treated bottles containing commercial apple juice innoculated with Zygosaccharomyces yeast strain and incubated for over a month. Note the heavy fermentation in the control (far left). Plate counts confirmed no growth in ICET bottles.

 

 

Figure 2: ICET treated PET bottles containing apple juice innoculated with Zygosaccharomyces yeast

Picture shows control and ICET treated bottles containing commercial apple juice innoculated with Zygosaccharomyces yeast strain and incubated for over a month. Note the heavy fermentation in the control (far left). Plate counts confirmed no growth in ICET bottles.

Plastic and absorbent packaging materials could be either coated or incorporated with ICET's antimicrobial formulations to extend the shelf life.

This technology allows for excellent applications in food packaging, meat packaging, single use food containers, water and beverage containers, baby formula, milk and related products, food wraps, fruit, vegetable tray liners, and even antimicrobial wipes for fruits and a host of similar products.

For further information please write to ICET at shantha@icetinc.com