RAMAT-GAN, Israel, Jan. 19 (UPI) -- Israeli scientists say they've tested a "killer paper" packaging material with silver nanoparticles to preserve foods by combating bacteria that cause spoilage.
Aharon Gedanken and colleagues at Bar-Ilan University have been exploring the use of silver nanoparticles -- each 1/50,000 the width of a human hair -- as germ-fighting coatings for plastics, fabrics and metals, an American Chemical Society release said Wednesday.
The researchers say nanoparticles, which have a longer-lasting effect than larger silver particles, could help overcome the growing problem of antibiotic resistance as bacteria develop the ability to shrug off existing antibiotics.
Paper coated with silver nanoparticles could provide an alternative to common food preservation methods such as radiation, heat treatment and low-temperature storage, they say.
Paper treated with the nanoparticles demonstrated potent antibacterial activity against E. coli and S. aureus, two causes of bacterial food poisoning, killing all of the bacteria in 3 hours, the researchers found.
