Evaluation of Antimicrobial Properties of PVA/Leucaena leucocephala Film to Preserve Beef Meat Quality

Abstract

Active food packaging refers to food packaging that are incorporated with components such as antimicrobial agents that would release or absorb substances into or from the packaged food. These interactions would maintain or prolong the shelf life of the food while maintaining their quality and safety. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is one of the most well-known synthetic biodegradable polymers and possess an excellent mechanical property. In this research, an attempt was made by incorporating Leucaena leucocephala (1, 5, 10 and 15 % w/v) to the PVA film (85-99 % w/v) by using casting method to enhance the antimicrobial activity and the degradation rate of the film. Various tests such as Total Viable Count (TVC), Coliform Count (CC) and Total Chlorophyll Content (TCC) was carried out to determine the effectiveness of the antimicrobial properties of the film by using beef meat model. It was found that 15 % w/v of leaves incorporated with 85 % w/v PVA film was shown as the best antimicrobial film with the lowest microbial concentration of 5.5 x107 CFU/ml and 4 X 106 CFU/ml for TVC and CC, respectively compared to the other film formulations.