Edible films enriched with a Green Tea Extract (GTE) have the potential to reduce both foodborne viruses and bacteria according to a team of US researchers.The group demonstrates that a GTE added to chitosan, a sugar found in shellfish exoskeletons and marketed as a weight-loss supplement, creates a safe-to-eat barrier that kills norovirus and two bacterial types.
“In many cases, an edible film is in a product, but you are not aware of it,” explains Melvin Pascall, senior study author and professor of food science and technology at The Ohio State University.
“We don’t have to put that on the label since the material is edible. That’s another way in which we use packaging – and the consumer doesn’t have to know…”