Efficacy of Polyethyleneimine-Based Complexes and Nanocomposites against Mold Fungi in Food Industry Facilities

Yuliya Yushina; Anzhelika Mahova; Elena Zaiko; Mariya Grudistova; Dagmara Bataeva; Anastasia Semenova; Grigory Rogov; Alexander Yaroslavov; Alexey Zezin; Dmitry Klimov

doi:10.21603/1019-8946-2026-3-85

UDC

EFFICACY OF POLYETHYLENEIMINE-BASED COMPLEXES AND NANOCOMPOSITES AGAINST MOLD FUNGI IN FOOD INDUSTRY FACILITIES Efficacy of Polyethyleneimine-Based Complexes and Nanocomposites against Mold Fungi in Food Industry Facilities

АА Аа

Published in Dairy industry · Pages 74–82 · Rubric: Research Article

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21603/1019-8946-2026-3-85 · EDN: FBDJLO

Received: 24.02.2026 Accepted: 05.05.2026 Published: 03.06.2026 Language of publication: RUS

Authors

Yuliya Yushina

Anzhelika Mahova

SPIN

Elena Zaiko

SPIN

Mariya Grudistova

SPIN

Dagmara Bataeva

Anastasia Semenova

ORCID

Grigory Rogov

ORCID SPIN

Alexander Yaroslavov

Alexey Zezin

Dmitry Klimov

Yuliya Yushina

Academic degree: doctor of technical sciences

V. M. Gorbatov Federal Research Center for Food Systems of RAS Russian Federation · Moscow

Anzhelika Mahova

V. M. Gorbatov Federal Research Center for Food Systems of RAS Russian Federation · Moscow

SPIN

Elena Zaiko

Academic degree: candidate of technical sciences

V. M. Gorbatov Federal Research Center for Food Systems of RAS Russian Federation · Moscow

SPIN

Mariya Grudistova

Academic degree: candidate of technical sciences

V. M. Gorbatov Federal Research Center for Food Systems of RAS Russian Federation · Moscow

SPIN

Dagmara Bataeva

Academic degree: candidate of technical sciences

V. M. Gorbatov Federal Research Center for Food Systems of RAS Russian Federation · Moscow

Anastasia Semenova

Academic degree: doctor of technical sciences

Science rang: professor

V. M. Gorbatov Federal Research Center for Food Systems of RAS Russian Federation · Moscow

ORCID

Grigory Rogov

All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Butter- and Cheesemaking – Branch of V. M. Gorbatov Federal Research Center for Food Systems of RAS Russian Federation · Uglich

ORCID SPIN

Alexander Yaroslavov

Lomonosov Moscow State University Russian Federation · Moscow

Alexey Zezin

V. M. Gorbatov Federal Research Center for Food Systems of RAS Russian Federation · Moscow

Institute of Synthetic Polymeric Materials of RAS Russian Federation · Moscow

Dmitry Klimov

Institute of Synthetic Polymeric Materials of RAS Russian Federation · Moscow

ABSTRACT

Mold fungi spoil food and degrade its sensory properties, creating risks associated with mycotoxin formation. Dairy enterprises use permanent antimicrobial coatings to improve the sanitary treatment of equipment and extend product shelf life. This article describes the fungicidal activity of polymer compositions based on polyethyleneimine (PEI) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) modified with silver. The substances were tested against seven mold strains (Penicillium gladioli, Penicillium verrucosum, Penicillium rugulosum, Penicillium polonicum, Cladosporium pseudochalastosporoides, Botrytis cinerea, Aspergillus wentii) isolated from dairy processing facilities. Fungicidal activity was assessed by the presence or absence of growth on solid and in liquid Sabouraud media at exposure times ranging from 5 min to 96 h. The fungicidal activity of the base interpolyelectrolyte complexes (PEI/PAA) depended on their composition: pure PEI suppressed the growth of six strains, and the 3PEI/1PAA complex suppressed two, while 1PEI/3PAA was inactive. Silver significantly enhanced the fungicidal effect: the addition of silver ions (Ag⁺) to the 3PEI/1PAA complex expanded the spectrum of suppressed strains from two to seven, providing universal activity within a five-minute exposure time. Silver nanoparticles increased the number of sensitive strains for the initially inactive 1PEI/3PAA complex from zero to six. Furthermore, silver nanoparticles allowed the 3PEI/1PAA complex to maintain full activity for 96 h, whereas the unmodified complex lost its efficacy after only 24 h. Thus, the use of silver increased the number of suppressed mold species by 3.5–7 times compared to unmodified complexes. In this research, polyethyleneimine and polyacrylic acid demonstrated high potential for novel fungicidal coatings in the food industry.

KEYWORDS

mold fungi, polymers, fungicidal activity, food spoilage

Funding

The study was carried out at the expense of a grant from the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation for the implementation of major scientific projects in priority areas of scientific and technological development (project No. 075-15-2024-483).

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Yushina Y. K., Mahova A. A., Zaiko E. V., Grudistova M. A., Bataeva D. S., Semenova A. A., Rogov G. N., Yaroslavov A. A., Zezin A. A., Klimov D. I. Efficacy of Polyethyleneimine-Based Complexes and Nanocomposites against Mold Fungi in Food Industry Facilities // . 2026. pp. 74-82. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21603/1019-8946-2026-3-85. EDN: FBDJLO. (Date of access 19.08.2026).

MLA

Yuliya Yushina, Mahova A. A., Zaiko E. V., Grudistova M. A., Bataeva D. S., Semenova A. A., Rogov G. N., Yaroslavov A. A., Zezin A. A., Klimov D. I.. "Efficacy of Polyethyleneimine-Based Complexes and Nanocomposites against Mold Fungi in Food Industry Facilities." (2026): 74-82. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21603/1019-8946-2026-3-85. EDN: FBDJLO.

APA

Yushina Y. K., Mahova A. A., Zaiko E. V., Grudistova M. A., Bataeva D. S., Semenova A. A., Rogov G. N., Yaroslavov A. A., Zezin A. A., Klimov D. I. (2026). Efficacy of Polyethyleneimine-Based Complexes and Nanocomposites against Mold Fungi in Food Industry Facilities. , 74-82. https://doi.org/10.21603/1019-8946-2026-3-85 EDN: FBDJLO.

Chicago

Yuliya Yushina, Mahova A. A., Zaiko E. V., Grudistova M. A., Bataeva D. S., Semenova A. A., Rogov G. N., Yaroslavov A. A., Zezin A. A., Klimov D. I.. "Efficacy of Polyethyleneimine-Based Complexes and Nanocomposites against Mold Fungi in Food Industry Facilities." , no. (2026): 74-82. https://doi.org/10.21603/1019-8946-2026-3-85. EDN: FBDJLO.

WIKI

{{cite journal | author = Yushina Y. K., Mahova A. A., Zaiko E. V., Grudistova M. A., Bataeva D. S., Semenova A. A., Rogov G. N., Yaroslavov A. A., Zezin A. A., Klimov D. I. | title = Efficacy of Polyethyleneimine-Based Complexes and Nanocomposites against Mold Fungi in Food Industry Facilities | journal = | year = 2026 | pages = 74-82 | doi = 10.21603/1019-8946-2026-3-85 }} EDN: FBDJLO

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EFFICACY OF POLYETHYLENEIMINE-BASED COMPLEXES AND NANOCOMPOSITES AGAINST MOLD FUNGI IN FOOD INDUSTRY FACILITIES Efficacy of Polyethyleneimine-Based Complexes and Nanocomposites against Mold Fungi in Food Industry Facilities

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