Patented novel packaging prevents food poisoning from eating fresh produce.
Yissum, the technology transfer company of Hebrew University at Jerusalem, has patented research that stops bacterial biofilms from adhering to produce and packaging. These bacterial biofilms are the root cause for food poisoning from fresh produce.
The novel packaging takes advantage of a recent discovery that bacteria communicate with each other. The process, called quorum sensing, is one of the factors for biofilm formation. Once certain molecules detect a sufficiently high cell density, they launch a cascade of genetic processes that leads to the bacteria’s adhesion to food or packaging. Controlling these molecules means preventing this formation of the biofilm.
Developed at the university’s Biofilm Research Laboratory by Michael Brandwein, under the supervision of professor Doron Steinberg, the anti-biofilm packaging contains a synthesised molecule called TZD, which interferes with bacteria’s quorum sensing. It has also been shown to disrupt the formation of fungi and to prevent biofilms in recycled water systems.
Bacterial biofilms are a growing concern for the food industry, particularly as demand for fresh produce increases in industrialised countries. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention estimates food-borne diseases causing 48 million illnesses each year in the US alone. Nearly half of these, 45%, are caused by bacteria.
Brandwein said: “While millions of dollars have been spent globally to develop antimicrobial polymers, no one has succeeded in developing and marketing anti-quorum sensing or anti-biofilm polymers. We therefore predict that our product will enjoy exclusivity for many years to come. We envision our technology being applied to frozen food packaging, poultry and meat packaging and other areas within the food packaging industry.”
