Antimicrobial activity of lysozyme and lactoferrin incorporated in cellulose-based food packaging

The antimicrobial proteins lysozyme and lactoferrin were incorporated into paper containing carboxymethyl
cellulose, that allowed non-covalent binding of the positively charged proteins to the paper
matrix. More than 60 percent of the proteins added alone or in combination during the papermaking
process were released in buffered saline.
The released proteins retained their structural and functional features, indicating that the papermaking
process did not affect their structure. The antimicrobial activity on common food contaminants
was also retained in the released protein, and a synergism between the two proteins was evident in tests
carried out with paper containing both proteins against Listeria.
Tests on thin meat slices laid on paper sheets containing either or both antimicrobial proteins indicated
that lysozyme was most effective in preventing growth of this particular microbiota.