A new study conducted by the Department of Food Science and Technology at the University of Georgiahas found that antimicrobial packaging can make food safer. Scientists looked at the effectiveness of antimicrobial packaging structures in ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products.
They inoculated cooked ham with Listeria monocytogenes, then packaged it in antimicrobial packaging. The samples were stored at 4 degrees, 10 degrees, and 22 degrees Centigrade, then tested for aerobic bacteria (bacteria that need oxygen to live and reproduce), Entereobacteriaceae, and Listeria monocytogenes two times over four weeks. They found that packaging with an oxygen scavenger or a carbon dioxide generator was effective at reducing bacterial growth, and that packaging with an allyl isothiocyanate (AIT) generator was less effective.
FoodWorld 