Antibacterial Activity of ZnO Films in Rice

In this study, we investigated the antibacterial activity of ZnO films prepared in University of Leeds in England, against microbial contamination in paddy, brown and white rice, particularly contaminated with mesophilic bacteria and coliforms. The results showed that reduction numbers of coliforms in paddy, brown and white rice treated with ZnO films were 0.30 logCFU/g, 0.14 logCFU/g and 0.21 logCFU/g, respectively in the third day. And in the sixth day, reduction numbers of coliforms in paddy, brown and white rice was 0.48 logCFU/g, 0.35 logCFU/g and 0.03 logCFU/g. The result also showed that the growth tendency of mesophilic bacteria and coliforms in each sample was declined. In addition, the reduction numbers of coliforms in paddy sample is higher than brown about 0.16 logCFU/g and 0.09 logCFU/g in white rice in the first three days. It was concluded that, ZnO films showed antibacterial activity in rice, especially significant in paddy rice.