Fabrication of Copper Sulfide Nanoparticles and Limonene Incorporated Pullulan/Carrageenan-Based Film with Improved Mechanical and Antibacterial Properties.

Swarup Roy,Jong-Whan Rhim

doi:10.3390/polym12112665

Abstract

Edible biopolymer (pullulan/carrageenan) based functional composite films were fabricated by the addition of copper sulfide nanoparticles (CuSNP) and D-limonene (DL). The DL and CuSNP were compatible with the pullulan/carrageenan biopolymer matrix. The addition of CuSNP significantly increased the UV-blocking properties without substantially reducing the transparency of the film. The addition of CuSNP improved the film’s tensile strength by 10%; however, the DL addition did not significantly influence the strength, while the combined addition of CuSNP and DL increased the strength by 15%. The addition of the fillers did not significantly affect the thermal stability of the film, but the water vapor barrier property was slightly improved. There was no significant change in the moisture content and hydrophobicity of the composite film. Besides, the composite film showed some antimicrobial activity against food-borne pathogenic bacteria. The fabricated pullulan/carrageenan-based film with antimicrobial and UV-barrier properties is likely to be used in active food packaging applications.

Highlights

Today, the use of plastics is rapidly increasing in the food packaging sector, and in all other industries, and they generate enormous plastic waste and environmental pollution due to their non-degradability [1,2]
The Pul/Carr and Pul/Carr/DL films were transparent without color, but the CuSNP-added films were greenish
There were no cracks or voids in the surface image and no apparent accumulation of particles, indicating both CuSNP and DL are compatible with the polymer matrix

Summary

Introduction

The use of plastics is rapidly increasing in the food packaging sector, and in all other industries, and they generate enormous plastic waste and environmental pollution due to their non-degradability [1,2]. There are two ways to solve this problem: one is to reduce plastic waste and increase the recycling rate, and the other is to use biodegradable materials that can replace plastics. In this context, biopolymer plastics or bioplastics, which uses annually renewable resources, is an eco-friendly material that can replace petroleum-based plastics [7,8]. A carbohydrate produced by microorganisms, is a homo-polysaccharide composed of repeating units of maltotriose. It is a highly water-soluble, colorless, and odorless substance. It has excellent gas and oil barrier properties, making it an ideal choice to make edible films and coatings

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Conclusion