Abstract
Antimicrobial packaging is a key component of food safety. An antimicrobial agent can be added to a packaging material during film formation, or applied to the food contact surface,which determines different types of antimicrobial packaging materials and antimicrobial release modes. In this work, different modes of antimicrobial agent release have been studied theoretically. A model is developed based on analyses of bacterial populations in response to the addition of an antimicrobial agent as a function of the agent release mode. This model provides a direct connection between microbial inhibition in the food system and the release rate of the antimicrobial agent, and it can be used to design more effective controlled-release packaging materials that will improve the microbiological safety and quality of food products.