Food Packaging and Shelf Life 26 (2020) 100591 Available online 8 November 2020 2214-2894/© 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Characterization and antimicrobial properties of bioactive packaging flms based on polylactic acid-sophorolipid for the control of foodborne pathogens Vict´ oria Akemi Itakura Silveira a , Beatriz Marjorie Marim a , Amanda Hip´ olito a , Marcelly Chue Gonçalves b , Suzana Mali a , Renata Katsuko Takayama Kobayashi b , Maria Antonia Pedrine Colabone Celligoi a, * a Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, State University of Londrina, Mailbox 10.011, 86057-970, Londrina, Brazil b Department of Microbiology, State University of Londrina, Mailbox 10.011, 86057-970, Londrina, Brazil A R T I C L E INFO Keywords: Biosurfactant Green packaging Food packaging Pathogens Food safety Films ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to propose the development of antimicrobial packaging films based on polylactic acid and sophorolipid produced by Starmerella bombicola for the control of foodborne pathogens. Films were produced by the casting method, and fve formulations were prepared with different proportions of polylactic acid:sophorolipid: 100:0, 97.5:2.5, 95:5, 90:10 and 80:20. The addition of sophorolipid resulted in porous matrix flms, and evident changes were observed, suggesting a chemical interaction between the biopolymer and the biosurfactant. The flms showed good thermal stability, and the sophorolipid had a plasticizing effect, modifying the mechanical properties and improving the elasticity and fexibility. The flms exhibited antimicrobial activity against the poultry pathogens Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella spp. Sophorolipid can be incorporated as a multifunctional agent in flms, being used to improve thermomechanical properties and as a natural antimicrobial for the control of foodborne pathogens in the food industry. 1. Introduction Petrochemical plastics generate major environmental problems, as they are highly resistant to degradation and release greenhouse gases, contributing to global warming and plastic pollution in landflls and waters (Royer, Ferr´ on, Wilson, & Karl, 2018). Packaging is the main application of plastics, highlighting their use in the food industry, which is mostly made of non-biodegradable materials (Risyon, Othman, Basha, & Talib, 2020; Taiatele et al., 2019). The extensive use of traditional petroleum-based plastics has taken many countries to establish restrictions and to develop alternatives (Heydari-Majd, Ghanbarzadeh, Shahidi-Noghabi, Najaf, & Hosseini, 2019). A trending strategy is to use environmentally friendly materials, such as biobased polymers, to substitute fossil-based plastics (Maniglia et al., 2019). Polylactic acid (PLA) is a promising candidate for use in food pack- aging, being approved by the Food and Drug Administration and classifed as Generally Recognized as Safe (Ahmed, Hiremath, & Jacob, 2016). PLA can be obtained from renewable sources and is considered the most effcient biopolymer due to its high yield during production (Gan & Chow, 2018), in addition to presenting good mechanical prop- erties, such as polyethylene (PE) and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (Gao, Picot, Bilotti, & Peijs, 2017). Traditional packaging has a passive action with food since it serves only as a barrier from the external environment (Wyrwa & Barska, 2017). Biodegradable packaging of natural biopolymers can be further enhanced with antimicrobial and other agents to create bioactive packaging, which is one of the options for reducing food deterioration (Sharma, Jafari, & Sharma, 2020). Thus, antimicrobial packaging brings new features, aiming to extend shelf life and food safety by controlling or preventing the growth of pathogenic and deteriorating microorgan- isms (Ahmed, Hiremath, & Jacob, 2016). Studies have reported the incorporation of silver and zinc oxide nanoparticles, essential oils, chitosan, and plant extracts into * Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: victoriiakemi@hotmail.com (V.A.I. Silveira), beatrizmarjorie1@gmail.com (B.M. Marim), a.hipolito@hotmail.com (A. Hip´ olito), marcelly. chue@gmail.com (M.C. Gonçalves), smali@uel.br (S. Mali), kobayashirkt@uel.br (R.K.T. Kobayashi), macelligoi@uel.br (M.A.P.C. Celligoi). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Food Packaging and Shelf Life journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/fpsl https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fpsl.2020.100591 Received 22 May 2020; Received in revised form 27 July 2020; Accepted 19 October 2020