Antimicrobial Food Packaging—Interaction of Compounds and Bacterial Growth

The efficiency of antimicrobial packaging in protecting and prolonging the shelf life of food goods depends critically on the relationship between antimicrobial agents and microbiological growth. This study aims to overview how antimicrobial compounds interact with microbes to maintain long-term antimicrobial inhibition in relation to the release, absorption, and diffusion of antimicrobial compounds in a food packaging system. This paper also reviews factors that might impact the antimicrobial packaging’s efficacy.

This study shows release mechanisms of the antimicrobial compounds from materials, where the antimicrobial compounds can be diffused from the materials through the headspace for indirect contact packaging system or directly diffused to the food products. Minimal inhibitory concentrations can be an indicator to know the effectiveness of the antimicrobial compounds inside the packaging system. With the controlled release of compounds, bacterial growth can be inhibited due to the interaction between antimicrobial compounds and bacteria.

Many factors affect the interaction, such as inner properties of materials, food components, and external factors, e.g., temperature, relative humidity, and incorporation of compounds in the materials. These factors can be simplified by understanding the characteristics of the antimicrobial compounds and the minimum inhibitory concentration on bacteria. Therefore, understanding the factors influencing the compounds’ release and antimicrobial activity can maximize the effectiveness of the antimicrobial packaging design.