Influence of glycerol on molecular mobility and hydrogen bond network in amorphous glucose matrix

Characterization of Synthetic Polymer Coated with Biopolymer Layer with Natural Orange Peel Extract Aimed for Food Packaging

This research was aimed to make biolayer coatings enriched with orange peel essential oil (OPEO) on synthetic laminate, oriented poly(ethylene-terephthalate)/polypropylene (PET-O/PP). Coating materials were taken from biobased and renewable waste sources, and the developed formulation was targeted for food packaging. The developed materials were characterized for their barrier (O₂, CO₂, and water vapour), optical (colour, opacity), surface (inventory of peaks by FTIR), and antimicrobial activity. Furthermore, the overall migration from a base layer (PET-O/PP) in an acetic acid (3% HAc) and ethanol aqueous solution (20% EtOH) were measured. The antimicrobial activity of chitosan (Chi)-coated films was assessed against Escherichia coli. Permeation of the uncoated samples (base layer, PET-O/PP) increased with the temperature increase (from 20 °C to 40 °C and 60 °C). Films with Chi-coatings were a better barrier to gases than the control (PET-O/PP) measured at 20 °C. The addition of 1% (w/v) OPEO to the Chi-coating layer showed a permeance decrease of 67% for CO₂ and 48% for O₂. The overall migrations from PET-O/PP in 3% HAc and 20% EtOH were 1.8 and 2.3 mg/dm², respectively. Analysis of spectral bands did not indicate any surface structural changes after exposure to food simulants. Water vapour transmission rate values were increased for Chi-coated samples compared to the control. The total colour difference showed a slight colour change for all coated samples (ΔE > 2). No significant changes in light transmission at 600 nm for samples containing 1% and 2% OLEO were observed. The addition of 4% (w/v) OPEO was not enough to obtain a bacteriostatic effect, so future research is needed.

Influence of antioxidant structure on local molecular mobility in amorphous sucrose

The effect of the antioxidants gallic acid and methyl, propyl, and octyl gallate on the molecular mobility and hydrogen bond network in amorphous sucrose was studied. Solid amorphous sucrose films with and without the addition of antioxidants at a mole ratio of 1:5 (antioxidant/sucrose) were cast from solution onto quartz slides. Local molecular mobility from 0 to 70°C was measured using tryptophan amino acid as a luminescent probe dispersed in the films. Phosphorescence from the tryptophan probe provides spectroscopic characteristics-emission spectrum and lifetime-that are sensitive to changes in molecular mobility induced by the addition of antioxidants. Local molecular mobility detected by tryptophan increased in the following order: sucrose<sucrose-octyl gallate<sucrose-propyl gallate⩽sucrose-methyl gallate⩽sucrose-gallic acid. The antioxidants also modulated the activation energy for matrix motions that quench the tryptophan phosphorescence in a structure-dependent manner. IR measurements as a function of temperature indicated that hydrogen bond strength in these amorphous films followed a rank order (sucrose-methyl gallate>sucrose-gallic acid>sucrose-propyl gallate>sucrose>sucrose-octyl gallate) that was nearly the reverse of that seen in matrix mobility. Analysis of the differential effects of the antioxidants suggests that the presence of the hydroxyl benzoyl head group increased matrix molecular mobility and hydrogen bond strength while the saturated carbon chain decreased mobility and bond strength. The influence of the carboxyl group on matrix properties was comparable to that of the formyloxy group. These results indicate that the addition of specific functional ingredients such as antioxidants may significantly affect the physical properties and consequently functional properties of amorphous edible films in ways that might condition their use. The observed changes are closely related to the chemical structure of the added species.