Abstract
We introduce a simple model food/packaging system to study the efficacy of controlled antimicrobial agent (AMA) release on the bacterial growth inhibition. The system permits considering the effect of headspace, either liquid- or gas-filled. Both types of headspace showed significant decrease in the bacterial growth inhibition due to limited AMA transport from the packaging layer to the model food. The model food/packaging system has been validated on a ready-to-eat meat product (sliced turkey), and reasonable bacteria inhibition levels were achieved.