Utilization Of Sugarcane Bagasse Cellulose-Clay Nanocomposite As A Biodegradable And Antibacterial Packaging Material To Extend The Food's Shelf Life

Abstract

Food packaging materials derived from fossil fuels are single-use products that harm the health of living things when disposed of by releasing toxic byproducts. Many communities are starting to be more environmentally friendly by using biopolymers. However, some biopolymers do not have antibacterial properties, thus shortening the food’s shelf life and not applicable in food packaging. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to develop a biodegradable and antimicrobial food packaging from sugarcane bagasse and clay that degrades over time without compromising the food’s shelf life. Cellulose acetate butyrate (cab) was prepared in an amimcl ionic liquid system from sugarcane bagasse. Then the cab was plasticized using peg, resulting a film. Besides, montmorillonite (mmt) clay was modified with aryl ammonium cations using a cation exchange technique to form bmmt. The nanocomposite film was prepared by mixing the plasticized cab and bmmt, then heated at 50c to evaporate the solution. The nanocomposite film was obtained as a prototype of food packaging. Several tests were conducted including mechanical properties, water vapor permeability (wvp), antimicrobial and toxicity test. Based on research by saha et.al, 2008, the nanocomposite film with the cag, peg and bmmt 100:20:3 composition gave the best mechanical properties because of the agglomeration of bmmt. Also, the nanocomposite film had promising wvp properties as a plastic because the clay layers reduced the water vapor diffusion across the polymer matrix. The toxicity test showed that this nanocomposite film was compatible in human blood. Lastly, this nanocomposite film has antibacterial activity against b. Subtilis and p. Cepacia because of the bmmt presence. In conclusion, the nanocomposite film from sugarcane bagasse and clay containing cag, peg and bmmt 100:20:3 is a promising material for a biodegradable and antimicrobial food packaging, because it has sufficient mechanical properties, antibacterial activity, low wvp and is non-toxic.