Orange Juice Processing Waste as a Biopolymer Base for Biodegradable Film Formation Reinforced with Cellulose Nanofiber and Activated with Nettle Essential Oil

Seyedeh Elham Mousavi Kalajahi,Hamed Hamishehkar,Narmela Asefi,Hadi Almasi,Ainaz Alizadeh

doi:10.1007/s10924-021-02195-2

Abstract

Concerns about environmental problems have led to the development of biodegradable packaging. Food wastes as a byproduct could be a good source for biopolymers. This study aimed to describe the physical and antimicrobial features of nano biocomposite films based on orange waste powder (OWP) with different concentrations of nettle essential oil (NEO) (1.5 and 3%) as an antibacterial agent and cellulose nanofiber (CNF) (3 and 6%) as a structural reinforcement. Thus, Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and differential scanning calorimetry analysis (DSC) were performed. Further, tensile strength, elongation at break, water vapor permeability, and antimicrobial properties were investigated. As a result, the addition of CNF improved the tensile strength and water barrier properties of the samples. Compared to the control film, adding NEO (3%) decreased the tensile strength but increased water vapor permeability and melting temperature. Moreover, the OWP-based film samples had an antimicrobial effect against five foodborne pathogens; this effect was increased considerably by enhancing the NEO concentration. In this regard, the maximum and minimum susceptibility was related to the Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella enterica, respectively. In conclusion, orange waste could be used to produce an active film with improved physicomechanical and antibacterial properties by incorporating CNF and NEO.

Highlights

Food packaging materials are almost petroleum-based plastics that are widely used due to their availability, low price, and desirable properties
This study described the physical and antimicrobial features of nano biocomposite films based on orange waste powder (OWP) with different concentrations of nettle essential oil (NEO) (1.5 and 3 %) as an antibacterial agent and cellulose nanofiber (CNF) (3 and 6 %) as a structural reinforcement
The spectrum of OWP/CNF0%/NEO0% film sample showed several specified peaks which were summarized as follows: 1) Peaks ranging 31173842 cm-1 indicated intermolecular O-H stretching vibration bonds of the pectin monomer, the symmetric and asymmetric stretching vibration associated with H2O [9] and free N-H groups of proteins [5]. 2) The peaks around 2822-2885 cm-1 associated with C-H bonds of the methylene group in the polymer structure and stretching vibrations of the methyl group of galacturonic acid methyl ester [8, 26]

Summary

Introduction

Food packaging materials are almost petroleum-based plastics that are widely used due to their availability, low price, and desirable properties. Petroleum-based plastics cause many environmental problems due to their non-biodegradability [1,2,3]. Concerns about the health problems related to plastics and consumer’s demand for high-quality food products have led to developing biodegradable packaging materials such as films and coatings [5, 6]. Various biopolymers such as proteins and polysaccharides have been used to develop biodegradable films to replace synthetic plastics and prevent spoilage and microbial contamination of fruits and vegetables during storage as well as acting as a carrier of functional compounds such as antimicrobials, antioxidants, flavorings, and colors [6,7,8]. Fruit and vegetable puree has been widely used as a biopolymer source to produce edible films [9]

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Conclusion