Smart Packaging to the Rescue

 

What if technology could guarantee that the package of meat you just bought was free from Listeria and E. coli and other harmful bacteria? What if technology could do that without using chemicals? 

Well, now technology can. Dr. Mansel Griffiths at the University of Guelph, Guelph, Ont., Canada, has embedded bacteriophages—viruses that eat specific bacteria—in packaging. Phages kill their target bacteria by reproducing inside them. Since they are everywhere in our lives—in soil, in our intestines, and especially in our drinking water and food—they are completely natural, kosher, halal, and can be certified organic. They don’t affect color, flavor, texture, or taste. Better still, they are cheap and easy to prepare. 

"Other technologies, where the phages are sprayed on food in the production line, are in development or on the market," says Griffiths. "In our approach, the phages are in the paper that separates slices of cold cuts, cheese, or similar foods. This takes less phages and releases them only when the target pathogen is present, so we can avoid overusing phages, which may alleviate concerns about resistance and adding viruses to food." 

In the photo above, Dr. Hany Anany (left) and Griffiths (right), and the team explored various immobilization techniques to maintain phage activity on paper. In one technique, they formulated a phage-based bioink that can print phages on commercially available paper using a garden variety inkjet printer. The printed phages were active and able to capture and kill pathogenic bacteria. The commercial value and benefits are multi-faceted. Because phages are a physical solution, not a chemical one, bacteria can’t develop resistance to the right cocktail of phages. 

 

 

Another major concern is that the world is facing the prospect of feeding 10 billion people within 30 years. Reducing spoilage and extending shelf life are huge humanitarian and commercial gains through the supply chain right down to the consumer. 

As well, converters can ensure the safety of their product beyond their production facility. Retailers—where several employees may handle product or use the same slicer for many products—gain an extra level of protection, as do consumers. And governments alleviate a major public health concern and possible deaths from contaminated food.

"These are real products that can be manufactured within the year," says George Rosenberg, managing director of the Sentinel Bioactive Paper Network that partly funded the research. 

The outbreaks of E. coli at XL Foods and Listeria at Maple Leaf Foods were significant enough to break Canadians’ trust in packaged meats. Sales plummeted. Reputations faltered. Nobody wants to go there again. The good news is—we don’t have to.

More information is available online.