Killer paper - new packaging material
Food could get a longer shelf life using “killer paper,” a new
packaging material made of anti-bacterial nanoparticles, scientists at
Israel’s Bar-Ilan University have reported.
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Scientists at Israel’s
Bar-Ilan University have revealed the “killer paper”. The
material could provide an alternative to common food
preservation methods such as radiation”. File Photo |
Aharon Gedanken and colleagues at the university’s chemistry
department claim to have developed and successfully tested the “killer
paper,” that they say helps preserve foods by fighting the bacteria that
cause spoilage. The finding has been reported in Langmuir, a journal
published by the American Chemical Society (ACS).
According to the report, the killer paper contains a coating of
silver nanoparticles which are powerful anti-bacterial agents. Silver
already finds wide use as a bacteria fighter in certain medicinal
ointments and bathroom cleaners and scientists have been exploring the
use of silver nanoparticles as germ-fighting coatings for plastics and
fabrics, the ACS said in a statement.
It said that the ‘killer paper’ coated with silver nanoparticles
“could provide an alternative to common food preservation methods such
as radiation”. According to the Israeli researchers, silver
nanoparticles could potentially help overcome the growing problem of
antibiotic resistance in which bacteria develop the ability to shrug-off
existing antibiotics. In laboratory experiments they demonstrated that
the coated paper’s potent antibacterial activity against E. coli and S.
aureus, two types of bacteria that usually cause food poisoning.
“These organisms were killed by the killer paper in just three
hours,” the scientists reported suggesting its potential application as
a food packaging material for promoting longer shelf life.
IANS |
