Characterization of Active Packaging Films Made from Poly(Lactic Acid)/Poly(Trimethylene Carbonate) Incorporated with Oregano Essential Oil.

Dong Liu,Minglong Yuan,Yongming Chuan,Haiyun Chen,Hongli Li,Lin Jiang

doi:10.3390/molecules21060695

Dong Liu, Minglong Yuan + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules21060695

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Journal: Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)	Publication Date: May 27, 2016
Citations: 59	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: Minzu University of China

Abstract

Antimicromial and antioxidant bioactive films based on poly(lactic acid)/poly(trimenthylene carbonate) films incorporated with different concentrations of oregano essential oil (OEO) were prepared by solvent casting. The antimicrobial, antioxidant, physical, thermal, microstructural, and mechanical properties of the resulting films were examined. Scanning electron microscopy analysis revealed that the cross-section of films became rougher when OEO was incorporated into PLA/PTMC blends. Differential scanning calorimetry analysis indicated that crystallinity of PLA phase decreased by the addition of OEO, but this did not affect the thermal stability of the films. Water vapor permeability of films slightly increased with increasing concentration of OEO. However, active PLA/PTMC/OEO composite films showed adequate barrier properties for food packaging application. The antimicrobial and antioxidant capacities were significantly improved with the incorporation of OEO (p < 0.05). The results demonstrated that an optimal balance between the mechanical, barrier, thermal, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties of the films was achieved by the incorporation of 9 wt % OEO into PLA/PTMC blends.

Highlights

Active packaging materials with antioxidant or antimicrobial properties have gained considerable attention, since they are one of the most promising alternatives to traditional packaging [1]
There have been a number of studies on the antimicrobial activity of films incorporated with essential oil such as Mentha pulegium essential oil, cinnamon essential oil or other essential oils [27,28], essential oil such as Mentha pulegium essential oil, cinnamon essential oil or other essential oils [27,28], but there have been a few studies on active films incorporating oregano essential oil
The antimicrobial activities of the composite films were tested against the Gram positive bacteria E. coli and L. monocytogenes as of the composite films were tested against the Gram positive bacteria E. coli and L. monocytogenes as

Summary

Introduction

Active packaging materials with antioxidant or antimicrobial properties have gained considerable attention, since they are one of the most promising alternatives to traditional packaging [1]. Biodegradable active packaging can provide a solution to the environmental problem of solid waste resulting from the use of non-biodegradable petrochemical-based plastic packaging materials [2,3] Biodegradable plastics such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA), poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and polypropylene glycol (PPG) are noteworthy materials is this respect [4]. PLA, a biodegradable polymer which can be generated from renewable resources such as corn starch or sugarcane has recently attracted growing attention [5,6,7,8]. Some characteristic properties of pure PLA such as weak thermal stability, low gas barrier properties, and low ductility and toughness are inadequate for food packaging applications [10]

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