SURFACE ACTIVITY OF ANTIMICROBIAL COMPOSITIONS WITH A POLYMER-CONTAINING INGREDIENT

Abstract

Salad shelf life can be extended by treating fresh-cut vegetables and mayonnaise with antimicrobial solutions. The efficacy of such solutions depends on surface wettability of salad components. Effect of polyvinyl pyrrolidone forming part antimicrobial solutions on interfacial tension decrease is studied in the paper. Salts of lactic acid, acetic and propionic acids and “Polydon-A” form part of such solutions.  “Polydon-A” polymer agent has the following physical-chemical characteristics: basic substance mass fraction (polyvinyl pirrolidone) is 12.0%, pH of 10% solution is 7.0, viscosity is 4016 mPa x s. The following properties are basic for antimicrobial compositions: active acidity is between 5.7 and 6.0 units, titratable acidity is between 37 and 47 deg., polyvinyl pirrolidone mass fraction is between 0.1% - 2.4%. Fixed regularities of how surface and interfacial tension of composition solutions change depending on the solution composition and concentration are given in the article. It was found the solutions surface activity increases when polyvinyl pirrolidone mass fraction in their composition decreases. At this, solutions with the minimum polyvinyl pirrolidone mass fraction have the lowest interfacial tension. The obtained results show surface components of salads demonstrate wetting effect and deep penetration of the offered microbial solutions into component pores. These characteristics provide the developed compositions with flexibility and promising future for their wide application in salad production.