Pineapple peel extract incorporated poly(vinyl alcohol)-corn starch film for active food packaging: Preparation, characterization and antioxidant activity

Abstract

This research study explores the fabrication of polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) and corn starch (ST) with pineapple peel extract (PPE) as a natural antioxidant agent, which is an abundant by-product from the food processing industry via casting method. The effects of PPEs concentration (5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%) on the antioxidant capacity, optical, thermal, mechanical, barrier properties, and changes in PVOH-starch molecular structure of PVOH/ST films were investigated. The results revealed that with the increasing concertation of PPEs, prepared films' thickness and water vapor permeability slightly increased. Elongation at break of PVOH/ST films was also enhanced with PPEs concentration. All PPEs incorporated films exhibited enhanced thermal stability as the degradation occurred above 300 °C. The addition of PPE to PVOH/ST films remarkably increased the antioxidant properties. Finally, prepared PVOH/ST/PPE films demonstrated to be a capable material for developing active biodegradable packaging material due to its proven antioxidant activity and mechanical property, which can be helpful in the packaging of food products that gets spoiled due to oxidation reactions.