Application and Toxicity Assessment of Antimicrobial N-halamines for Food Safety Controls

Abstract

Cross-contamination from food-associated environments accounts for a big portion of microbial contamination in food products. The objective of this study is to develop N-halamine based antimicrobial coatings on various food-contact surface materials for food safety controls and to evaluate the safety of N-halamines for food-associated applications. There are three projects covered in this dissertation: The first project is to modify thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) with rechargeable antimicrobial function using polyelectrolyte-based N-halamines through a compounding method. Chlorination condition, antimicrobial efficacy, storage stability, rechargeability and physical property were investigated. The second project is to modify stainless steel 316 with antimicrobial/anticorrosion multifunctional coating using conducting polymer-based N-halamines through an electroplating method. Surface characterization, antimicrobial efficacy, storage stability and anticorrosion property were investigated. In the third project, the toxicity of N-halamine compound was evaluate to assess the safety for food-related applications using in vitro toxicity testing methods. Cytotoxicity and mutagenicity were investigated using cell culture and nutrient deficient bacteria. The possible mechanism of cytotoxicity for N-halamine compound was also illustrated. Results from these studies indicate that N-halamines may have great potential as high-effective, low-cost and safe antimicrobials for food safety controls in the food industry.