Simple synthesis of active films based on PVC incorporated with silver nanoparticles: Evaluation of the thermal, structural and antimicrobial properties

In this work, active antimicrobial films were synthetized with 1.0% to 8.0% silver ions incorporated into polyvinyl chloride (PVC), utilizing a simple solvent casting method was accomplished in a single step. The incorporation of silver in the PVC affected the thermal, structural and antimicrobial properties of the films, which were observed via different characterization techniques. The antimicrobial activity was evaluated through disk diffusion method against the following bacterial and fungi species: Bacillus subtilis, Aspergillus niger and Fusarium solani. In addition, a practical evaluation was performed in order to observe the shelf life extension of breads. PVCAg1% exhibited better antimicrobial activity for Fusarium solani with halos (13.5 ± 0.3 mm), and PVCAg2% for Bacillus subtilis (15.3 ± 0.7 mm). The resulting bread sample displayed an absence of microorganisms to PVCAg1% after 15 days of storage. The results showed that the synthesis of the PVC-based films incorporated with silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) can be easily performed, resulting in films with antimicrobial activity, which may be applied to food storage at room temperature without use of a modified atmosphere.