In the current study Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) was exploited as an alternative carrier of thymol with the aim of developing multilayer low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films with advanced bioactivity over time. The results indicated strong interactions between thymol and major S. cerevisiae components (e.g., polysaccharides (primarily β-glucan), proteins, and lipids), which were mainly demonstrated by the disappearance of the FTIR-ATR peak at 1394 cm^-1 and the shift of the peak at 2850 cm^-1. S. cerevisiae-based carriers presented superior thermal stability compared to zeolite- and activated carbon-ones, with up to 85 °C increase in T₅₀ of thymol (temperature at which 50 % weight loss occurs). Multilayer films were fabricated as bilayer blended, bilayer coated, or three-layer structures. While films with different compositions and architectures demonstrated considerable antimicrobial activity, those with S. cerevisiae-carriers in the form of coating managed to 100 % inhibit Escherichia coli growth, even after 5 days of film storage. Interestingly, due to mold cultivation these films did not result in substantial cherry tomatoes preservation. On the contrary, melt-blended bilayer films of S. cerevisiae carriers, and coated bilayer, and three-layer films with activated carbon, managed to maintain pH of tomatoes within the normal levels (app. 4.4) over 21 days of storage.

• PMID: 40675304
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Journal Article

Authors

Giotopoulou I, Stamatis H, Barkoula NM

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