Lifespan and bioactivity improvement of bacteriophages immobilized on carboxymethylcellulose - Cationic starch-coated paper for food packaging.

Bacteriophages (phages) have a great potential to target specifically foodborne bacterial pathogens, particularly in packaging materials. However, incorporating phages into packaging surfaces requires stabilizing their structure and maintaining their infectivity during the papermaking process. In this study, several coating formulations containing various ratios of carboxymethyl cellulose, cationic starch, and glycerol were applied to a base paper to assess phage stability.

Development of Antimicrobial Paper Coatings Containing Bacteriophages and Silver Nanoparticles for Control of Foodborne Pathogens.

In this study, a novel antimicrobial formula that incorporates Listeria bacteriophage P100 and silver nanoparticles into an alginate matrix was successfully developed. Paper coated with the antimicrobial formula inhibited the growth of Listeria monocytogenes. The effects of alginate concentration on the formation of silver nanoparticles, silver concentration on the infectivity of phages, and of low alginate concentrations on the sustained release of silver and phages were explored.

Methanol fractionation of softwood Kraft lignin: impact on the lignin properties.

The development of technologies to tune lignin properties for high-performance lignin-based materials is crucial for the utilization of lignin in various applications. Here, the effect of methanol (MeOH) fractionation on the molecular weight, molecular weight distribution, glass transition temperature (Tg ), thermal decomposition, and chemical structure of lignin were investigated. Repeated MeOH fractionation of softwood Kraft lignin successfully removed the low-molecular-weight fraction.