Abstract
In this study, xylan–alginate-based films were reinforced with nanoclays (bentonite or halloysite) by the solvent casting technique. The effect of the nanoclay loadings (1–5 wt %) on various properties—mechanical, optical, thermal, solubility, water sorption, and water vapor permeability (WVP)—of the xylan–alginate films were examined for their application as food packaging materials. A 5 wt % loading of either bentonite or halloysite resulted in a 49% decrease of the WVP due to the impermeable nature of the silicate layers that make up both bentonite and halloysite. Thermal stability and solubility of the nanocomposite films were not significantly influenced by the presence of the nanoclays, whereas the optical properties were significantly improved when compared to neat xylan–alginate blend. In general, films reinforced with bentonite exhibited superior mechanical and optical properties when compared to both halloysite-based nanocomposite and neat films.
Highlights
Polymers derived from petroleum-based resources are increasingly used as packaging materials due to their low cost and favorable packaging properties
There is a great demand for biopolymer-based packaging materials due to the advantages of being renewable, biodegradable, biocompatible, having a limited environmental impact, and absence of end-of life disposal issues
Biopolymers such as chitosan, pectin, gelatin, and starch are being developed for food packaging applications [1]
Summary
Polymers derived from petroleum-based resources are increasingly used as packaging materials due to their low cost and favorable packaging properties. There is a great demand for biopolymer-based packaging materials due to the advantages of being renewable, biodegradable, biocompatible, having a limited environmental impact, and absence of end-of life disposal issues Biopolymers such as chitosan, pectin, gelatin, and starch are being developed for food packaging applications [1]. Xylan and alginate represent two polysaccharides that are good candidates to replace the petroleum-based single-use film plastics that are currently being used for food packaging applications Both biopolymers can be extracted from various agricultural waste residues (maize stalks, sugarcane bagasse, wheat straw, etc.) and marine resources (seaweed), which are available abundantly and are currently underutilized [2,3,4,5]. From a South African perspective, agricultural waste residues such as maize stalks and bagasse residues are usually burnt or dumped in the field, without any meaningful conversion or value-addition
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