article
Preparation and antimicrobial activity of polyethylene composite films with silver exchanged zeolite-Y
Registro en:
1385-8947
10.1016/j.cej.2012.07.111
Autor
Boschetto, Daiane Lúcia
Lerin, Lindomar
Cansian, Rogério
Pergher, Sibele Berenice Castellã
Luccio, Marco Di
Resumen
This study aimed at the preparation of antimicrobial films based on silver (Ag) exchanged zeolite Y. The zeolite was exchanged to a final concentration of 5% silver and was characterized by different methods. The inclusion of silver in the zeolite did not change its structure. The antimicrobial activity of the Ag-exchanged zeolite was assessed on Escherichia coli, by the minimum inhibitory concentration method (MIC). The zeolite with 5% Ag showed effective antimicrobial activity. The MIC was 0.5 mg zeolite/mL, which corresponds to 25 μg Ag/mL. The leaching of Ag ions to the medium was assessed by AAS, which showed that 56% of the silver ions was leached from the zeolite to the medium. The polyethylene films with the Ag–zeolite were prepared by the methods of wet-casting and thermal pressing of polyethylene beads mixed with Ag–zeolite, varying the zeolite content from 1 to 10 wt%. The inclusion of the Ag–zeolite in the film did not change the film thermal degradation. The films that showed antimicrobial activity on E. coli were those prepared with 5% zeolite containing 5% silver, showing the potential application of such films in food preservation and safety.