Study on the Antimicrobial Effect of Nanosilver Tray Packaging of Minced Beef at Refrigerator Temperature

Fresh meat is a highly perishable commodity. Under normal aerobic packaging conditions, the shelf life of refrigerated meat is limited by the growth of bacteria. Silver nanoparticles have recently attracted increasing interest because of their antimicrobial activities in food packaging. This study was conducted to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of nanosilver packaging at refrigerator temperature (3±1°C) in minced meat (beef). Two thickness of minced meat (1.5 and 1cm) were packed in two types of packaging; (1) tray that was fortified by nanosilver particles and (2) common packaging. Samples were examined for total bacterial, E.coli and S.aureous count on day 1, 3, 7, 10 and 14. The microbial counts indicated that nanosilver packaging reduced the microbial growth of minced meat. Shelf life of 2 days in common food packaging was extended to 7 days with similar acceptability scores in nano-silver packaging samples. The antimicrobial effect of the nanosilver tray on thin minced meat packaging was higher than thick minced meat packaging. We believe that nanosilver tray improved the quality and shelf life of minced meat at refrigerator temperature compared with common packaging.