Metal-free organic polymer for the preparation of a reusable antimicrobial material with real-life application as an absorbent food pad

Abstract

There is a strong need to reduce food waste while maintaining the quality of packaged food. Thus, we have prepared a new fully organic and metal-free antimicrobial polymer, with the aim of increasing both the shelf life and safety of packaged meat. This antimicrobial polymer is based on widely available commercial acrylic monomers with covalently linked vanillin motifs, which are naturally occurring essential oils with antimicrobial characteristics. The film-shaped antibacterial polymeric material shows antibacterial activity for Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Listeria monocytogenes with an R parameter of up to 3.18, 3.37 and 2.00 and inhibition % of up to 99.95%, 99.96%, and 99.02%, respectively. To show the potential of these materials, we conducted a proof of concept experiment in which the antimicrobial polymer film was used as an absorbent food pad. The results show that the use of the antimicrobial polymer film can increase the shelf life of a packaged meat product by 50%. Since the antimicrobial activity is based on a covalently anchored group, there is no antimicrobial agent diffusion, and the antimicrobial activity persists beyond the first use because it is easily washable and reusable for at least 10 cycles.