Review of microbiological methods for testing protein and carbohydrate-based antimicrobial food packaging

Abstract Background Appropriate food packaging maintains food safety and quality. The development of active packaging is a novel approach for food preservation, in which the interaction between food, packaging material, and the environment enhances food safety and quality. Antimicrobial packaging (AMP) is a type of active packaging that can be developed by incorporating different kinds and concentrations of antimicrobial substances to packaging polymers in order to increase product shelf life. Scope and approach In the existing literature, different antimicrobial tests have been used to establish the efficiency of antimicrobials in AMP. The variety of testing procedures being used in these studies makes it difficult to interpret the data and reach a general conclusion, indicating the need to establish valid methodologies. This review provides information about the main aspects and general requirements of in vitro methodologies, both in culture media (e.g., agar- and broth-based methods) and in food matrix, for determination of antibacterial performance of antimicrobial films and solutions. Key findings and conclusions Several factors seem to influence the antimicrobial performance of AMP, including the AMP preparation method, the testing method, the selected bacterial strain, the inoculation level, among others. In addition, each packaging material requires not only different testing methods but also the modification of the test in order to meet the requirement of the specific active packaging and ensure consistent and reliable results.