1
Chemists from RUDN University developed biodegradable antibacterial film for storing food

Chemists from RUDN University developed biodegradable antibacterial film for storing food

A team of chemists from RUDN University created an antibacterial coating for food products. The mixture consists of two components that are safe for human health and form a thin, non-toxic, and biodegradable film. The film has no color or flavor and can increase the shelf life of different products 2.5 to 8 times.

Food wraps are usually produced from chemical compounds based on synthetic polymers such as polyethylene and polypropylene. These materials are bad for the environment and take dozens, if not thousands of years to decompose. Naturally, a food coating should protect the food and contain no toxins that could contaminate it, but it is also important for it to decompose without a trace after being used. A team of chemists from RUDN University created such a coating from polysaccharides—natural macromolecules that are the building blocks of living organisms. Polysaccharides do not have a negative effect on health, are biodegradable and non-toxic.

The antibacterial coatings suggested by the team are based on chitosan, a polysaccharide that is found in carapaces of crabs or in lower fungi. Specifically, the chemists used two derivatives of chitosan: SC-Na, or chitosan succinyl sodium salt, and a compound of triazole, betaine, and chitosan (TBC). The latter possesses antibacterial properties comparable to those of modern-day antibiotics. According to the team, TBC nanoparticles embed into an SC-Na grid or matrix, creating a thin uniform film. It is much stronger than any of its individual components and lets less oxygen and steam in. In the course of the experiments, the scientists confirmed that the film is the most efficient when the SC-Na to TBC ratio is 1 to 1.

“We managed to obtain non-toxic chitosan derivatives with extraordinary antibacterial properties almost similar to those of commercial antibiotics and suggested that they could be used to increase film durability and antibacterial characteristics. We based our coating on SC-Na, a salt with high film-forming ability. Moreover, it is not toxic and works as an antioxidant, increasing the shelf life of food products. By changing the TBC/SC-Na ratio, we developed multifunctional food coatings with improved antibacterial, protective, and mechanical properties,” said Andreii Kritchenkov, a Candidate of Chemical Sciences, and a research assistant at the Department of Inorganic Chemistry, RUDN University.

To test their invention, the team put several bananas in the film for 10 days. In the course of the experiment, the scientists measured their weight, vitamin C content, and the level of carbon dioxide emission. After 10 days, these parameters were compared to the results from the control group that was kept without coating. Coated fruit turned out to have lost 3 times less weight and 8 times less vitamin C, and the frequency of their ’breathing’ was 2.6 times lower (i.e. metabolic processes that are associated with CO2 emissions slowed down).

Thanks to these properties, chitosan-based films can be used to store food products. After a film has been used, it will decompose without causing harm to the environment.

The article was published in Food Packaging and Shelf Life

Visiting Professors View all
03 Nov 2017
Michele Pagano is a graduate of the University of Pisa, a leading scientist, the author of more than 200 publications in international journals, and a participant in many international research projects
3158
Scientific Conferences View all
16 Oct
The collection consists of two volumes and includes biographical information about Russian demographers and their scientific research. The first volume is devoted to the research of the Pre-Revolutionary period, the second to the works of the Soviet era and the present.
126
Similar newsletter View all
16 Oct
Green Diplomacy Center opened in RUDN

A Center for Green Diplomacy was created based on the RUDN Institute of Environmental Engineering. Among the goals is the integration of the results of scientific and practical activities into the development of international relations in the environmental sphere. The center's specialists will also accompany the corporate sector in solving various environmental problems.

131
19 Apr
A huge pizza and a jug of water, why should 5G networks be sliced? The winners of RUDN science competition explain

RUDN summarized the results of the scientific competition "Project Start: work of the science club ". Students of the Faculty of Physics, Mathematics and Natural Sciences have created a project for a managed queuing system using a neural network to redistribute resources between 5G segments. How to increase flexibility, make the network fast and inexpensive and reach more users — tell Gebrial Ibram Esam Zekri ("Fundamental Computer Science and Information Technology", Master's degree, II course) and Ksenia Leontieva ("Applied Mathematics and Computer Science", Master's degree, I course).

183
19 Apr
Lyricists and physicists are now on equal terms: the first humanitarian laboratory opened in RUDN

What is your first association with the word “laboratory”? Flasks and beakers? Microscopes and centrifuges? Yes, many of us would answer the same way.

231
Similar newsletter View all