Abstract

Carbon-neutral and eco-friendly biomass-based processes are recognized as a frontier technology for sustainable development. In particular, biopolymers are expected to replace petrochemical-based films that are widely used in food packaging. In this study, the fabrication conditions of functional (antioxidant and antibacterial) bioelastomers were investigated using by-products from the juice processing (experimental group) and freeze-dried whole fruit (control group). Bioelastomer was fabricated by a casting method in which polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was mixed with 25 or 50 wt% aronia powder (juice processing by-products and freeze-dried whole fruit). The mechanical properties of the bioelastomers were measured based on tensile strength and Young’s modulus. When the mixture contained 50 wt% aronia powder, the strength was not appropriate for the intended purpose. Next, the surface and chemical properties of the bioelastomer were analyzed; the addition of aronia powder did not significantly change these properties when compared to PDMS film (no aronia powder). However, the addition of aronia powder had a significant effect on antioxidant and antimicrobial activities and showed higher activity with 50 wt% than with 25 wt%. In particular, bioelastomers fabricated from aronia juice processing by-products exhibited approximately 1.4-fold lower and 1.5-fold higher antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, respectively, than the control group (bioelastomers fabricated from freeze-dried aronia powder).

Highlights

  • In recent years, petroleum-based plastics have caused greenhouse gas emissions and various environmental problems owing to the production process

  • All bioelastomers had Young’s modulus higher than 2.42 ± 0.04 MPa of PDMS because of the random distribution of powders in the composite which could change the extent of PDMS cross-linking (Figure 1b) [33]

  • It was found that antioxidants remained in aronia juice processing residue, which was used as a raw material for the fabrication of functional bioelastomers

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Summary

Introduction

Petroleum-based plastics have caused greenhouse gas emissions and various environmental problems owing to the production process. Carbon-neutral and eco-friendly biopolymers have attracted great attention as alternative materials. From food sources such as corn, cassava, and sugarcane to non-food resources such as wood, agricultural and food processing. Foods 2020, 9, 1565 by-products, sustainable biomass can be used as a raw material for biopolymer production [1,2]. The biopolymer market reached US$ 35.9 billion in 2018, 51% of which was used in the food packaging industry [3]. The global food packaging market is estimated to increase from US$ 16.1 billion in 2018 to US$ 19.6 billion in 2023, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.9%, which is expected to increase the demand for biopolymers [4]. Various packaging containers and durable products using bioplastics have been actively developed [5,6,7]

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