scholarly journals Assessing The Suitability of New Film Laminates For Sustainable Insect Eradication By Modified Atmosphere In Museums

Author(s):  
Manar Elkhial ◽  
Nesrin Elhadidi

Abstract The increasing demand for applying modified inert atmosphere (MIA) systems for insect eradication in museums has led to the desire for lower-cost consumable materials, particularly laminated plastic films. An ultra-low oxygen-permeable laminate is required for creating successful MIA systems to keep the oxygen concentration lower than 0.3%, which is commercially available but at a high cost. The wide use of local laminated films for food preservation makes them a perfect target for testing and improvement for MIA applications. However, the lack of laboratory oxygen permeability test methods to gauge the potential of local laminates for inclusion in MIA applications distracts attention from looking at them as alternatives and encourages the expense on extremely expensive imported ones. Therefore, the present work investigates the potential of employing two laminates (one local and one imported) to create a successful leak-proof MIA system. A laboratory easy-to-use test method was developed to assess the oxygen-gas retention property of each laminate by measuring its oxygen permeability and consequently oxygen transmission rate (OTR). The test method is a sealed static diffusion chamber separated in the middle by a known area (cm2) of the test laminate to be tested. The test relies on measuring the concentration of oxygen in either sides of the laminate membrane within the sealed system and monitors the change over time to assess the OTR of the laminate. The specifications and design of the test chamber are adapted from the ASTM Designation: E2945 − 14, to meet the facilities of a typical artefact fumigation laboratory. The test is undertaken at standard MIA conditions (temperature of 25°C, relative humidity of 45%, and target oxygen concentration of 0.3). Results indicated that the new method is useful for an unlimited number of tests of an unlimited number of laminates. The conducted tests proved that the local laminate normally used for food packaging has superior advantages over the long-used imported ones.

Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (20) ◽  
pp. 3527
Author(s):  
Mona M. Abd Al-Ghani ◽  
Rasha A. Azzam ◽  
Tarek M. Madkour

The principle of breathable food packaging is to provide the optimal number of pores to transfer a sufficient amount of fresh air into the packaging headspace. In this work, antimicrobial microporous eco-friendly polymeric membranes were developed for food packaging. Polylactic acid (PLA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) were chosen as the main packaging polymers for their biodegradability. To develop the microporous films, sodium chloride (NaCl) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) were used as porogenic agents and the membranes were prepared using solvent-casting techniques. The results showed that films with of 50% NaCl and 10% PEO by mass achieved the highest air permeability and oxygen transmission rate (O2TR) with PLA. Meanwhile, blends of 20% PLA and 80% PCL by mass showed the highest air permeability and O2TR at 100% NaCl composition. The microporous membranes were also coated with cinnamaldehyde, a natural antimicrobial ingredient, to avoid the transportation of pathogens through the membranes into the packaged foods. In vitro analysis showed that the biodegradable membranes were not only environmentally friendly but also allowed for maximum food protection through the transportation of sterile fresh air, making them ideal for food packaging applications.


Author(s):  
M. Tscherner ◽  
C. Konrad ◽  
A. Bizzarri ◽  
M. Suppan ◽  
M. Cajlakovic ◽  
...  

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 1344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali H. Tayeb ◽  
Mehdi Tajvidi ◽  
Douglas Bousfield

Environmental and health concerns are driving the need for new materials in food packaging to replace poly- or perfluorinated compounds, aluminum layers, and petroleum-based polymers. Cellulose nanofibrils (CNF) have been shown by a number of groups to form excellent barrier layers to oxygen and grease. However, the influence of lignin-containing cellulose nanofibrils (LCNF) on film barrier properties has not been well reported. Herein, thin films (16 g/m2) from LCNF and CNF were formed on paper substrates through a filtration technique that should mimic the addition of material at the wet end of a paper machine. Surface, barrier and mechanical attributes of these samples were characterized. The analysis on the surface free energy and water contact angle pointed to the positive role of lignin distribution in inducing a certain degree of water repellency. The observed oxygen transmission rate (OTR) and water vapor permeability (WVP) values of LCNF-coated samples were nearly similar to those with CNF. However, the presence of lignin improved the oil proof performance; these layered designs exhibited an excellent resistance to grease (kit No. 12). The attained papers with LCNF coat were formed into bowl-like containers using metal molds and a facile oven drying protocol to evaluate their resistance to oil penetration over a longer period. The results confirmed the capability of LCNF layer in holding commercially available cooking oils with no evidence of leakage for over five months. Also, an improvement in the tensile strength and elongation at break was observed in the studied papers. Overall, the proposed packaging material possesses viable architecture and can be considered as a fully wood-based alternative for the current fluorocarbon systems.


Author(s):  
Umair Qasim ◽  
Ahmed I. Osman ◽  
Ala’a H. Al-Muhtaseb ◽  
Charlie Farrell ◽  
Mohammed Al-Abri ◽  
...  

Abstract The extensive use of petroleum-based synthetic and non-biodegradable materials for packaging applications has caused severe environmental damage. The rising demand for sustainable packaging materials has encouraged scientists to explore abundant unconventional materials. For instance, cellulose, extracted from lignocellulosic biomass, has gained attention owing to its ecological and biodegradable nature. This article reviews the extraction of cellulose nanoparticles from conventional and non-conventional lignocellulosic biomass, and the preparation of cellulosic nanocomposites for food packaging. Cellulosic nanocomposites exhibit exceptional mechanical, biodegradation, optical and barrier properties, which are attributed to the nanoscale structure and the high specific surface area, of 533 m2 g−1, of cellulose. The mechanical properties of composites improve with the content of cellulose nanoparticles, yet an excessive amount induces agglomeration and, in turn, poor mechanical properties. Addition of cellulose nanoparticles increases tensile properties by about 42%. Barrier properties of the composites are reinforced by cellulose nanoparticles; for instance, the water vapor permeability decreased by 28% in the presence of 5 wt% cellulose nanoparticles. Moreover, 1 wt% addition of filler decreased the oxygen transmission rate by 21%. We also discuss the eco-design process, designing principles and challenges.


Polymers ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1082 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dongmei Han ◽  
Yiqing Luo ◽  
Qing Ju ◽  
Xujing Xiao ◽  
Min Xiao ◽  
...  

Nanobrick wall hybrid coating with super oxygen barrier properties were fabricated on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film using a quadlayer (QL) assembly of polyelectrolytes and nanoplateles. A quadlayer assembly consists of three repeat units of polyacrylic acid (PAA), poly (dimethyl diallyl ammonium chloride) (PDDA) and layered α-zirconium phosphate (α-ZrP). PDDA with positive charges can assemble alternatively with both α-ZrP and PAA with negative charges to form nanobrick wall architectures on the surface of PET film via the electrostatic interaction. The lamellar structure of α-ZrP platelets and the dense QL assembly coating can greatly reduce the oxygen transmission rate (OTR) of PET film. Compared to pristine PET film, the OTR of PET (QL)19 is reduced from 57 to 0.87 cc/m2/day. Moreover, even with 19 QLs coating, PET (QL)19 composite film is still with an optical transparency higher than 90% and a haze lower than 10%. Therefore, the transparent PET (QL)n composite films with super oxygen barrier properties show great potential application in food packaging and flexible electronic packaging.


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