Bacteria-Shredding Insect Wings Inspire New Antibacterial Packaging
upstart writes:
Bacteria-shredding insect wings inspire new antibacterial packaging:
Inspired by the bacteria-killing wings of insects like cicadas, scientists have developed a natural antibacterial texture for use on food packaging to improve shelf life and reduce waste. The lab-made nanotexture from an Australian-Japanese team of scientists kills up to 70% of bacteria and retains its effectiveness when transferred to plastic.
More than 30% of food produced for human consumption becomes waste, with entire shipments rejected if bacterial growth is detected. The research sets the scene for significantly reducing waste, particularly in meat and dairy exports, as well as extending the shelf life and improving the quality, safety and integrity of packaged food on an industrial scale.
Distinguished Professor Elena Ivanova of RMIT University said the research team had successfully applied a natural phenomenon to a synthetic material-plastic. "Eliminating bacterial contamination is a huge step in extending the shelf life of food," she said.
"We knew the wings of cicadas and dragonflies were highly-efficient bacteria killers and could help inspire a solution, but replicating nature is always a challenge. We have now created a nanotexturing that mimics the bacteria-destroying effect of insect wings and retains its antibacterial power when printed on plastic. This is a big step towards a natural, non-chemical, antibacterial packaging solution for the food and manufacturing industry."
The research, published in ACS Applied Nano Materials, is a collaboration between RMIT, Tokyo Metropolitan University and Mitsubishi Chemical's The KAITEKI Institute. In 2015, Australia exported $US 3.1 billion of food and agricultural exports to Japan, making it the 5th largest exporter of such products to the country.
Journal Reference:
Denver P. Linklater, Soichiro Saita, Takaaki Murata, et al. Nanopillar Polymer Films as Antibacterial Packaging Materials, ACS Applied Nano Materials (DOI: 10.1021/acsanm.1c04251)
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