Issue 106, 2015

Novel LDPE/halloysite nanotube films with sustained carvacrol release for broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity

Abstract

The emergence of antibiotic resistance of pathogenic bacteria has led to renewed interest in exploring the potential of plant-derived antimicrobials e.g., essential oils (EOs), as an alternative strategy to reduce microbial contamination. However, the volatile nature of EOs presents a major challenge in their incorporation into polymers by conventional high-temperature processing techniques. Herein, we employ halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) as efficient nano-carriers for carvacrol (a model EO). This pre-compounding encapsulation step imparts enhanced thermal stability to the carvacrol, allowing for its subsequent melt compounding with low-density polyethylene (LDPE). The resulting polymer nanocomposites exhibit outstanding antimicrobial properties with a broad spectrum of inhibitory activity against Escherichia coli, Listeria innocua in biofilms, and Alternaria alternata. Their antimicrobial effectiveness is also successfully demonstrated in complex model food systems (soft cheese and bread). This superior activity, compared to other studied carvacrol containing films, is induced by the significantly higher carvacrol content in the film as well as its slower out-diffusion from the hybrid system. Thus, these new active polymer nanocomposites presents an immense potential in controlling microbial contamination and biofilm related adverse effects, rendering them as excellent candidate materials for a wide range of applications.

Graphical abstract: Novel LDPE/halloysite nanotube films with sustained carvacrol release for broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
17 Aug 2015
Accepted
09 Oct 2015
First published
09 Oct 2015

RSC Adv., 2015,5, 87108-87117

Novel LDPE/halloysite nanotube films with sustained carvacrol release for broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity

R. Shemesh, M. Krepker, M. Natan, Y. Danin-Poleg, E. Banin, Y. Kashi, N. Nitzan, A. Vaxman and E. Segal, RSC Adv., 2015, 5, 87108 DOI: 10.1039/C5RA16583K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements