Q&A: The Story Behind Poultry-Derived Antibacterial Bioplastics

It turns out that nontraditional bioplastic materials could possibly provide a more efficient solution to the petroleum-based plastics currently in use in hospitals around the country, according to researchers at the University of Georgia (UGA).

Kristopher Sturgis

To learn more about the potential medical applications of bioplastics, we reached out to Alexander Jones, a UGA doctoral student and co-author on a study related to the research. In the following Q&A, he discusses some of the specifics of the study, and how alternative antibacterial bioplastic materials could shape many medtech devices going forward.

MPMN: What sparked your group's interest in exploring alternative antibacterial bioplastic materials?

Jones: For our group, there are several reasons why we started to look into alternative bioplastic materials, and specifically albumin from the egg white of a hen. We looked into this type of protein because that it is a product of the poultry industry, which is one of the largest industries in Georgia today. If additional uses can be found for products that are generated from parts of the poultry industry, we feel like we can provide a boost to the statewide economy.

MPMN: Can you explain the antibacterials aspects of albumin and what makes it so appealing as a potential effective antibacterial bioplastic material?

Jones:  We examined albumin-based plastics because albumin from a hen's egg white contains lysozyme, an enzyme that has been found to prevent bacterial growth in past research. When this protein is combined with the use of glycerol of a plasticizer to form a plastic, it was found to prevent any bacterial growth to occur on the plastic. One potential reason why this result occurred can be traced to the use of glycerol, as it will gradually leach from the plastic over time. While this leaching occurs, some of the constituents of the albumin that prevent bacterial growth may also leach out, preventing any bacterial adhesion or growth.

MPMN: What are some of the direct applications of this material?

Jones: In terms of potential applications for the use of this material, we are looking at both biomedical applications, as well as food packaging applications. We have found that this material is also susceptible to biodegradation, which can be crucial when it comes to short term implants that would be placed in the body. The overall goal is to use the antibacterial potential of these protein bioplastics to develop thermoplastic blends with the petroleum-based plastics that are used today in the medical industry in certain applications (catheters, IV tubing, and so forth), and use materials that could potentially limit the amount of hospital acquired infections that could occur. Drug elution studies are also being conducted, as we are trying to determine if these plastics would be able to gradually elute a drug from its matrix and create zones of inhibition, preventing any nearby bacterial growth and potentially preventing infection in the body if it is used.

MPMN: Your group indicated a plan to to further explore the potential uses of albumin-based materials in the biomedical field, where do you think the study will go from here?

Jones: As I mentioned earlier, we are conducting drug elution and food preservative elution studies that involve the use of albumin protein, as well as the zein protein that is gathered from corn production that we have found that also possesses antibacterial properties. We will examine the drug levels at which bacterial inhibition occurs, as well as hopefully the kinetics/release rates at which the drug elution will occur.

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