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Production of silver nano-inks and surface coatings for anti-microbial food packaging and Its ecological impact

Manikandan, N. Arul, McCann, Ronán ORCID: 0000-0002-2071-0785, Dimitrios, Kakavas, Rochfort, Keith D. ORCID: 0000-0003-1198-5952, Sreenilayam, Sithara P. ORCID: 0000-0002-5282-3645, Alkan, Godze, Stornetta, Tom, McGivern, Allan Robert, Grintzalis, Konstantinos ORCID: 0000-0002-6276-495X, Friedrich, Bernd ORCID: 0000-0002-2934-2034, Foley, Greg ORCID: 0000-0002-2284-4218, Brabazon, Dermot ORCID: 0000-0003-3214-6381 and Freeland, Brian ORCID: 0000-0003-3705-5745 (2023) Production of silver nano-inks and surface coatings for anti-microbial food packaging and Its ecological impact. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 24 . ISSN 1422-0067

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Abstract

Food spoilage is an ongoing global issue that contributes to rising carbon dioxide emissions and increased demand for food processing. This work developed anti-bacterial coatings utilising inkjet printing of silver nano-inks onto food-grade polymer packaging, with the potential to enhance food safety and reduce food spoilage. Silver nano-inks were synthesised via laser ablation synthesis in solution (LaSiS) and ultrasound pyrolysis (USP). The silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) produced using LaSiS and USP were characterised using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectrophotometry and dynamic light scattering (DLS) analysis. The laser ablation technique, operated under recirculation mode, produced nanoparticles with a small size distribution with an average diameter ranging from 7–30 nm. Silver nano-ink was synthesised by blending isopropanol with nanoparticles dispersed in deionised water. The silver nano-inks were printed on plasma-cleaned cyclo-olefin polymer. Irrespective of the production methods, all silver nanoparticles exhibited strong antibacterial activity against E. coli with a zone of inhibition exceeding 6 mm. Furthermore, silver nano-inks printed cyclo-olefin polymer reduced the bacterial cell population from 1235 (±45) × 106 cell/mL to 960 (±110) × 106 cell/mL. The bactericidal performance of silver-coated polymer was comparable to that of the penicillin-coated polymer, wherein a reduction in bacterial population from 1235 (±45) × 106 cell/mL to 830 (±70) × 106 cell/mL was observed. Finally, the ecotoxicity of the silver nano-ink printed cyclo-olefin polymer was tested with daphniids, a species of water flea, to simulate the release of coated packaging into a freshwater environment.

Item Type:Article (Published)
Refereed:Yes
Additional Information:Article number: 5341
Uncontrolled Keywords:antibacterial; food packaging; laser ablation; silver nanoparticles; ultrasound pyrolysis
Subjects:Biological Sciences > Biotechnology
Biological Sciences > Microbiology
Engineering > Materials
Physical Sciences > Lasers
DCU Faculties and Centres:DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Engineering and Computing > School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science and Health > School of Biotechnology
DCU Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Science and Health > School of Nursing, Psychotherapy & Community Health
Research Initiatives and Centres > Advanced Processing Technology Research Centre (APTRC)
Research Initiatives and Centres > I-Form
Publisher:MDPI
Official URL:https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24065341
Copyright Information:© 2023 Authors.
Funders:Science foundation Ireland (20/FIP/PL/8940P, 18/SIRG/5563), Irish Research Council (GOIPG/2022/314 )
ID Code:28157
Deposited On:13 Mar 2023 12:38 by Brian Freeland . Last Modified 13 Mar 2023 12:38

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