Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) revealed uniformcoatings
on PE surfaces. Incorporation of ZnO nanoparticles into the chitosanmatrix resulted in 42% increase
in solubility; swelling decreased by 80% while the water contact angle (WCA) increased from 60° to 95° compared
to chitosan coating. PE coated with chitosan-ZnO nanocomposite films completely inactivated and
prevented the growth of food pathogens, while chitosan-coated films showed only 10-fold decline in the viable
cell counts of Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus after 24-h incubation compared to the
control.