Bovine lactoferrin and lactoferricin on plasma-deposited coating against spoilage Pseudomonas spp.

• Development of plasma coatings functionalized with bovine lactoferrin and lactoferricin B
• The film functionalized with lactoferricin B showed antimicrobial activity against spoiler Pseudomonas spp.
• Active packaging based on lactoferricin B can extend the shelf life of cheeses.
• Active packaging with GRAS compounds can also be realized with biodegradable polymers.

Bovine lactoferrin and lactoferricin B, well-known for their antimicrobial properties, were individually immobilized on two different coatings functionalized with − COOH groups deposited in the inner part of polyethylene micro tubes by means of a plasma deposition (PE-CVD) process fed with ethylene and acrylic acid vapors. The resulting functionalized tubes were tested for antimicrobial activity against three Pseudomonas strains responsible for casein hydrolysis and cheese pigmentation. The cell counts of these spoilage bacteria, incubated for 30 h under their optimal growth conditions, were found to be significantly reduced after 24 h in micro tubes functionalized with lactoferricin B, whereas a very low antimicrobial activity against the same strains, often undistinguishable from that of control samples, was observed in tubes functionalized with lactoferrin.This is the first work in which a plasma coating functionalized by lactoferricin B was studied to make an active packaging useful to control cheese spoilage by Pseudomonas.Industrial relevanceThe current study describes a new method to immobilize two food grade proteinaceous natural compounds. The resulting plasma-functionalized lactoferricin B-immobilized coating is a promising tool for the control of spoilage microorganisms and shelf-life extension of cheeses.