Abstract
The excessive use and disposal of plastic packaging materials have drawn increasing concerns from the society because of the detrimental effect on environment and ecosystems. As the most widely used fruit packing material, polyethylene (PE) film is not suitable for long-term preservation of some tropical fruits, such as mangos, due to its inferior gas permeability. Cellulose based film can be made from renewable resources and is biodegradable and environmental-friendly, which makes it a promising alternative to PE as a packaging material. In this study, cellulose film synthesized from delignified banana stem fibers via an ionic liquid 1-Allyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([AMIm][Cl]) were evaluated as packing material for mangos preservation. The moisture vapor transmission rate and gas transmission rate of the synthesized cellulose film were 1,969.1 g/(m2⋅24 h) and 10,015.4 ml/(m2⋅24 h), respectively, which are significantly higher than those of commercial PE films. The high permeability is beneficial to the release of ethylene so that contribute to extend fruit ripening period. As a result, cellulose film packaging significantly decreased the disease and color indexes of mangos, while prolonged the storage and shelf life of marketable fruits. In addition, the cellulose film was decomposed in soils in 4 weeks, indicating an excellent biodegradability as compared to the PE plastic film.
Highlights
Plastics are widely used in food packaging applications primarily for its low costs (Kirwan et al, 2011; Mandal, 2015)
Modified atmosphere packaging maintains a balance between fruit respiration and the air permeability of packaging films, which forms a microenvironment with high CO2 but low O2 so that inhibits the metabolism of fruits and vegetables and retains freshness for extended shelf life (Dhalsamant et al, 2017; Chen et al, 2019)
The intensity of ionic liquid processing significantly affects the properties of the banana stem-derived cellulose film
Summary
Plastics are widely used in food packaging applications primarily for its low costs (Kirwan et al, 2011; Mandal, 2015). The ripening of mangos usually takes 6–7 days at room temperature, after which the fruit quality decreases, gradually becomes diseased and rotted afterward (Su et al, 2001). Film packaging with an modified atmosphere has been widely used in fruit and vegetable storage (Wilson et al, 2019). Modified atmosphere packaging maintains a balance between fruit respiration and the air permeability of packaging films, which forms a microenvironment with high CO2 but low O2 so that inhibits the metabolism of fruits and vegetables and retains freshness for extended shelf life (Dhalsamant et al, 2017; Chen et al, 2019). From perspective of fruit preservation, it is necessary looking for an alternative material with enhanced moisture and vapor transmission to replace PE films for some fruits
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