Abstract
The aim of this paper is to evaluate the physicochemical and microbiological properties of active thermoplastic starch-based materials. The extract obtained from grape cane waste was used as a source of stilbene bioactive components to enhance the functional properties of thermoplastic starch (TPS). The biomaterials were prepared by the compression molding technique and subjected to mechanical, thermal, antioxidant, and microbiological tests. The results showed that the addition of grape cane extract up to 15 wt% (TPS/WE15) did not significantly influence the thermal stability of obtained biomaterials, whereas mechanical resistance decreased. On the other side, among all tested pathogens, thermoplastic starch based materials showed antifungal activity toward Botrytis cinerea and antimicrobial activity toward Staphylococcus aureus, suggesting potential application in food packaging as an active biomaterial layer.
Highlights
Environmental pollution and the management of accumulated waste has become one of the major global problems of contemporary society
Thermal processing of starch causes a shift of bands located around 1020 and 995 cm−1 to higher frequencies, whereas the band located around 1050 cm−1 completely disappears in the case of the thermoplastic starch (TPS) sample
Grape cane extract obtained from viticulture residues due to its antifungal/antimicrobial properties was included in different ratios in thermoplastic starch materials by a compression molding technique
Summary
Environmental pollution and the management of accumulated waste has become one of the major global problems of contemporary society. World production of plastics grew up to 335 million tons in 2016, where 70% of the total amount of plastic packaging ended up in landfills [1]. Millions of tons of food packaging waste has been generated in landfills, which presents a serious environmental problem. The use of biopolymers to produce environmentally sustainable packaging can be a promising solution, as an alternative to plastic packaging. By use of biopolymers, it can reduce the problem of plastic waste accumulation, as well as a quantity of biomass and agro-industrial waste, from which biopolymers are mostly derived. In addition to biobased food packaging, there is an increased expansion of active packaging on the market [2]. The active packaging material is designed to release active ingredients into food
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