Antimicrobial properties of polypropylene films containing AgSiO2, AgZn and AgZ for returnable packaging in seafood distribution

A Review of Nonbiodegradable and Biodegradable Composites for Food Packaging Application

The dependency on nonbiodegradable-based food packaging, increase in population growth, and persistent environmental problems are some of the driving forces in considering the development of biodegradable food packaging. This effort of green packaging has the potential to solve issues on plastic wastes through the combination of biodegradable composite-based food packaging with plant extracts, nanomaterials, or other types of polymer. Modified biodegradable materials have provided numerous alternatives for producing green packaging with mechanical strength, thermal stability, and barrier performance that are comparable to the conventional food packaging. To the best of our knowledge, the performance of nonbiodegradable and biodegradable composites as food packaging in terms of the above properties has not yet been reviewed. In this context, the capability of biodegradable polymers to substitute the nonbiodegradable polymers was emphasized to enhance the packaging biodegradation while retaining the mechanical strength, thermal stability, barrier properties, and antioxidant and antimicrobial or antibacterial activity. These are the ultimate goal in the food industry. This review will impart useful information on the properties of food packaging developed from different polymers and future outlook toward the development of green food packaging.

Active Polypropylene-Based Films Incorporating Combined Antioxidants and Antimicrobials: Preparation and Characterization

Development of polypropylene (PP) films incorporating antioxidant-antimicrobial agents can inhibit microbial growth and reduce undesirable deteriorating reactions and can preserve the quality of food. This study was aimed to use a combination of sorbic acid (SA), butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) to provide a synergistic effect at their reduced concentrations. A Combination of the additives was more effective in enhancing mechanical properties compared to their single state in film composition. The PP-2%SA-3%BHA film (T₃) had the highest tensile strength (17.9 MPa) and the lowest elongation at break (7.1%) than other films. The fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) proposed physical mixing of active additives within PP-matrix. Scanning electron microscopy showed uniform dispersion of the additives in PP-2%SA-1%BHT-1%BHA film (T₄) compared to others. BHT containing films decreased the storage and loss moduli leading to weakening of film viscoelastic behaviour and reducing film melting point. The prepared active films showed higher antioxidant activity than control PP-film following an order of T₄ > T₂ > T₃ corresponding to DPPH radical scavenging values of 89.1, 83.4 and 79.1%, respectively. All active films inhibited gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria growth. The results of this study indicated that the prepared active films possess desirable mechanical, thermal, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties enabling their use in food packaging.

A new pyrogallol coated oxygen scavenging film and their effect on oxidative stability of soybean oil under different storage conditions

The current study investigates the oxidative stability of soybean oil packaged with an oxygen scavenging film prepared by pyrogallol coating with concentrations of 5, 10, and 20% at 5, 23, and 60 °C and 95 ± 2% RH respectively. The oil stability was evaluated in terms of peroxide, thiobarbituric acid, and p-anisidine then compared with oil packed without the oxygen scavenging film. The results showed that the LDPE/PG 10 and 20% were efficient in the stabilization of soybean oil, even at high temperature. Peroxide, Thiobarbituric acid, and p-anisidine values, the oil samples packed with LDPE/PG films delayed the oil oxidation. The synergetic effect of LDPE/PG films, which can scavenge oxygen from the packaged product thereby slowing the oxidation of fats, was established in the study. The present study confirmed that active packaging could be introduced as a worthy replacement for direct addition of artificial antioxidants to the soybean oil.