Effects of Preparation Method on the Physicochemical Properties of Cationic Nanocellulose and Starch Nanocomposites

Nanocellulose (NC) has attracted attention in recent years for the advantages offered by its unique characteristics. In this study, the effects of the preparation method on the properties of starch films were investigated by preparing NC from cationic-modified microcrystalline cellulose (MD-MCC) using three methods: Acid hydrolysis (AH), high-pressure homogenization (HH), and high-intensity ultrasonication (US). When MD-MCC was used as the starting material, the yield of NC dramatically increased compared to the NC yield obtained from unmodified MCC and the increased zeta potential improved its suspension stability in water. The NC prepared by the different methods had a range of particle sizes and exhibited needle-like structures with high aspect ratios. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra indicated that trimethyl quaternary ammonium salt groups were introduced to the cellulose backbone during etherification. AH-NC had a much lower maximum decomposition temperature (Tmax) than HH-NC or US-NC. The starch/HH-NC film exhibited the best water vapor barrier properties because the HH-NC particles were well-dispersed in the starch matrix, as demonstrated by the surface morphology of the film. Our results suggest that cationic NC is a promising reinforcing agent for the development of starch-based biodegradable food-packaging materials.

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Nanocellulose as a new sustainable material for various applications: a review

Archives of Materials Science and Engineering ◽

10.5604/01.3001.0015.2624 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (109) ◽

pp. 49-64

Author(s):

F. Fahma ◽

I. Febiyanti ◽

N. Lisdayana ◽

I.W. Arnata ◽

D. Sartika

Keyword(s):

Food Packaging ◽

Cellulose Nanofibers ◽

Barrier Properties ◽

Polar Polymers ◽

Hydrophilic Nature ◽

Composite Field ◽

Reinforcing Agent ◽

Tissue Scaffolding ◽

Application Fields ◽

And Control

Purpose: This paper presents a comprehensive review of nanocellulose and its application in several applications, including composites, biomedical, and food packaging fields. Design/methodology/approach: General explanations about cellulose and nanocellulose have been described. Different types of nanocellulose (cellulose nanofibers, cellulose nanocrystals, bacterial nanocellulose) as well as their isolation processes (mechanical process, chemical process) have been reviewed. Several surface modifications have been explained to improve the dispersion of nanocellulose in non-polar polymers. The possible utilization of nanocellulose in composites, biomedical, and food packaging fields have also been analysed. Findings: This review presents three application fields at once, namely composites, biomedical, and food packaging fields. In the composite field, nanocellulose can be used as a reinforcing agent which increases the mehcnical properties such as tensile strength and toughness, and thermal stability of the final composites. In the biomedical field, nanocellulose is reinforced into hydrogel or composites which will be produced as tissue scaffolding, wound dressing, etc. It is found that the addition of nanocellulose can extend and control the drug release. While in the packaging field, nanocellulose is added into a biopolymer to improve the barrier properties and decrease the water and oxygen vapor transmission rates. Research limitations/implications: Nanocellulose has a hydrophilic nature, thus making it agglomerated and difficult to disperse in most non-polar polymers. Therefore, certain surface modification of nanocellulose are required prior to the preparation of composites or hydrogels.Practical implications: Further research regarding the toxicity of nanocellulose needs to be investigated, especially when applying it in the biomedical and food packaging fields. Originality/value: This review presents three application fields at once, namely composites, biomedical, and food packaging fields.

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Materials for food packaging applications based on bio-based polymer nanocomposites

Journal of Thermoplastic Composite Materials ◽

10.1177/0892705715588801 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 30 (2) ◽

pp. 143-173 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Seyed Ahmad Attaran ◽

Azman Hassan ◽

Mat Uzir Wahit

Keyword(s):

Polymer Nanocomposites ◽

Food Packaging ◽

Layered Silicate ◽

Barrier Properties ◽

Packaging Materials ◽

Natural Polymer ◽

Plastic Packaging ◽

Aspect Ratios ◽

Nanoparticle Surface ◽

Silicate Nanocomposites

Concerns about environmental waste problems caused by non-biodegradable petrochemical-based plastic packaging materials as well as consumer demand for high-quality food products have led to increased interest in the development of biodegradable packaging materials using annually renewable natural biopolymers. Inherent shortcomings of natural polymer-based packaging materials such as low mechanical properties and low barrier properties can be recovered by applying nanocomposite technology. Polymer nanocomposites, especially natural biopolymer-layered silicate nanocomposites, exhibit markedly improved packaging properties due to large nanoparticle surface area and their significant aspect ratios. Additionally, natural biopolymer is susceptible to microorganisms, resulting in good biodegradability, which is one of the most promising aspects of its incorporation in packaging materials and industries. The present review article explains the various categories of nanoclay and bio-based polymer-based composites with particular regard to their application as packaging materials. It also gives an overview of the most recent advances and emerging new aspects of nanotechnology for development of composites for environmentally compatible food packaging materials.

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Physical, Mechanical, and Water Vapor Barrier Properties of Starch/Cellulose Nanofiber/Thymol Bionanocomposite Films

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13234060 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (23) ◽

pp. 4060

Author(s):

Siti Hajar Othman ◽

Bilguisse Mamadou Wane ◽

Norhazirah Nordin ◽

Noor Zafira Noor Hasnan ◽

Rosnita A. Talib ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Water Vapor ◽

Food Packaging ◽

Cellulose Nanofibers ◽

Antibacterial Properties ◽

Barrier Properties ◽

Packaging Materials ◽

Water Vapor Barrier ◽

Food Packaging Materials ◽

Bionanocomposite Films ◽

Starch Films

The application of starch films, such as food packaging materials, has been restricted due to poor mechanical and barrier properties. However, the addition of a reinforcing agent, cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and also thymol, into the films, may improve the properties of films. This work investigates the effects of incorporating different concentrations of thymol (3, 5, 7, and 10 wt.%) on physical, mechanical, water vapor barrier, and antibacterial properties of corn starch films, containing 1.5 wt.% CNF produced using the solvent casting method. The addition of thymol does not significantly affect the color and opacity of the films. It is found that the tensile strength and Young’s modulus of the films decreases from 10.6 to 6.3 MPa and from 436.9 to 209.8 MPa, respectively, and the elongation at break increased from 110.6% to 123.5% with the incorporation of 10 wt.% thymol into the films. Furthermore, the addition of thymol at higher concentrations (7 and 10 wt.%) improved the water vapor barrier of the films by approximately 60.0%, from 4.98 × 10—9 to 2.01 × 10—9 g/d.m.Pa. Starch/CNF/thymol bionanocomposite films are also found to exhibit antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli. In conclusion, the produced starch/CNF/thymol bionanocomposite films have the potential to be used as antibacterial food packaging materials.

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Influence of Nanocellulose Additive on the Film Properties of Native Rice Starch-based Edible Films for Food Packaging

Recent Patents on Nanotechnology ◽

10.2174/1872210513666190925161302 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 222-233 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jeya Jeevahan ◽

Manoharan Chandrasekaran

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Strength ◽

Food Packaging ◽

Food Additives ◽

Barrier Properties ◽

Edible Films ◽

Rice Starch ◽

Oxygen Scavenger ◽

Film Properties ◽

Vapour Permeability ◽

Starch Films

Background & Objective: Starch-based edible films, which are transparent, odourless, biodegradable, tasteless, and semi-permeable to gases and food additives, have attracted the attention of the research community as the alternative food packaging materials to synthetic plastics. However, they pose poor water resistance and mechanical strength that should be improved for food packaging application. Few relevant patents to the topic have been reviewed and cited. Methods: Inclusion of nanoadditives in starch films can not only improve their mechanical and barrier properties but also can act as antimicrobial agent, oxygen scavenger, and biosensor. The present investigation is focussed on the effects of nanocellulose extracted from banana pseudostems on the film properties of rice starch-based edible films. Nanocellulose was extracted from dried banana pseudostems through isolation of cellulose and acid hydrolysis. Rice starch-based edible films were prepared through solution casting by adding nanocellulose of varying concentrations (0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8% & 10%). Results: The film properties, such as Water Vapour Permeability (WVP), mechanical strength (tensile strength, Young's modulus and percentage of elongation), film solubility in water and film colour, were determined. The test results were discussed and the effects of nanocellulose additives were studied. Conclusion: From the results, it was clear that the addition of nanocellulose had improved the film properties, making the rice starch-based edible films a promising choice for food packaging applications.

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Sustainable Chitosan-Dialdehyde Cellulose Nanocrystal Film

Materials ◽

10.3390/ma14195851 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (19) ◽

pp. 5851

Author(s):

Cong Gao ◽

Shuo Wang ◽

Baojie Liu ◽

Shuangquan Yao ◽

Yi Dai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Periodate Oxidation ◽

Water Vapor Permeability ◽

Barrier Properties ◽

Decomposition Temperature ◽

Cellulose Nanocrystal ◽

Vapor Permeability ◽

Mechanical And Thermal Properties ◽

Gas Barrier ◽

Reinforcing Agent ◽

Bionanocomposite Films

In this study, we incorporated 2,3-dialdehyde nanocrystalline cellulose (DANC) into chitosan as a reinforcing agent and manufactured biodegradable films with enhanced gas barrier properties. DANC generated via periodate oxidation of cellulose nanocrystal (CNC) was blended at various concentrations with chitosan, and bionanocomposite films were prepared via casting and characterized systematically. The results showed that DANC developed Schiff based bond with chitosan that improved its properties significantly. The addition of DANC dramatically improved the gas barrier performance of the composite film, with water vapor permeability (WVP) value decreasing from 62.94 g·mm·m−2·atm−1·day−1 to 27.97 g·mm·m−2·atm−1·day−1 and oxygen permeability (OP) value decreasing from 0.14 cm3·mm·m−2·day−1·atm−1 to 0.026 cm3·mm·m−2·day−1·atm−1. Meanwhile, the maximum decomposition temperature (Tdmax) of the film increased from 286 °C to 354 °C, and the tensile strength of the film was increased from 23.60 MPa to 41.12 MPa when incorporating 25 wt.% of DANC. In addition, the chitosan/DANC (75/25, wt/wt) films exhibited superior thermal stability, gas barrier, and mechanical strength compared to the chitosan/CNC (75/25, wt/wt) film. These results confirm that the DANC and chitosan induced films with improved gas barrier, mechanical, and thermal properties for possible use in film packaging.

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Starch/banana pseudostem biocomposite films for potential food packaging applications

BioResources ◽

10.15376/biores.15.2.3984-3998 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 15 (2) ◽

pp. 3984-3998 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Siti Hajar Othman ◽

Nurul Atiqah Najhah Tarmiti ◽

Ruzanna Ahmad Shapi'i ◽

Siti Marian Mohd Zahiruddin ◽

Intan Syafinaz Mohammed Amin Tawakkal ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Packaging ◽

Barrier Properties ◽

Packaging Material ◽

Solvent Casting ◽

Casting Method ◽

Percentage Composition ◽

Biocomposite Films ◽

Starch Films ◽

Optical And Mechanical Properties ◽

Potential Food

Banana pseudostems (BP) are a promising cellulose source that remains underutilized despite its potential to be formed as biodegradable food packaging material. This work was directed towards utilizing BP waste in a powder form to produce potential food packaging material that is environmentally friendly. A solvent casting method was used to produce starch/BP films at different BP percentage compositions (0, 10, 20, 30, and 40 wt% on the dry basis of starch). The effects of different percentage compositions of BP in starch on the morphology, optical, mechanical, and barrier properties of the films were investigated. The optical and mechanical properties of the starch films decreased with the addition of BP. However, the mechanical and barrier properties of the films improved with the increase in BP composition. An optimum percentage composition of 40 wt% BP powder can be utilized to produce starch/BP films for potential food packaging application.

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Low-Density Polyethylene Films Carrying ferula asafoetida Extract for Active Food Packaging: Thermal, Mechanical, Optical, Barrier, and Antifungal Properties

Advances in Polymer Technology ◽

10.1155/2020/4098472 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2020 ◽

pp. 1-15

Author(s):

Razieh Niazmand ◽

Bibi Marzieh Razavizadeh ◽

Farzaneh Sabbagh

Keyword(s):

Polymer Matrix ◽

Food Packaging ◽

Barrier Properties ◽

Low Density Polyethylene ◽

Low Density ◽

Optical Barrier ◽

Leaf Extracts ◽

Polyethylene Films ◽

Active Food Packaging ◽

Ferula Asafoetida

The physical, thermal, mechanical, optical, microstructural, and barrier properties of low-density polyethylene films (LDPE) containing ferula asafoetida leaf and gum extracts were investigated. Results showed a reduction in elasticity and tensile strength with increasing extract concentration in the polymer matrix. The melting temperature and enthalpy increased with increasing concentration of extracts. The films containing extracts had lower L∗ and a∗ and higher b∗ indices. The films containing leaf extract had more barrier potential to UV than the gum extracts. The oxygen permeability in films containing 5% of leaf and gum extracts increased by 2.3 and 2.1 times, respectively. The morphology of the active films was similar to bubble swollen islands, which was more pronounced at higher concentrations of gum and leaf extracts. FTIR results confirmed some chemical interactions of ferula extracts with the polymer matrix. At the end of day 14th, the growth rate of Aspergillus niger and Saccharomyces cerevisea in the presence of the PE-Gum-5 reduced more than PE-Leaf-5 (3.7 and 2.4 logarithmic cycles, respectively) compared to the first day. Our findings showed that active LDPE films have desire thermo-mechanical and barrier properties for food packaging.

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Tannic-Acid-Cross-Linked and TiO2-Nanoparticle-Reinforced Chitosan-Based Nanocomposite Film

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13020228 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (2) ◽

pp. 228

Author(s):

Swarup Roy ◽

Lindong Zhai ◽

Hyun Chan Kim ◽

Duc Hoa Pham ◽

Hussein Alrobei ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Tannic Acid ◽

Nanocomposite Film ◽

Food Packaging ◽

Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles ◽

Casting Technique ◽

Active Food Packaging ◽

Reinforcing Agent ◽

Solution Casting Technique ◽

Cross Linker

A chitosan-based nanocomposite film with tannic acid (TA) as a cross-linker and titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiO2) as a reinforcing agent was developed with a solution casting technique. TA and TiO2 are biocompatible with chitosan, and this paper studied the synergistic effect of the cross-linker and the reinforcing agent. The addition of TA enhanced the ultraviolet blocking and mechanical properties of the chitosan-based nanocomposite film. The reinforcement of TiO2 in chitosan/TA further improved the nanocomposite film’s mechanical properties compared to the neat chitosan or chitosan/TA film. The thermal stability of the chitosan-based nanocomposite film was slightly enhanced, whereas the swelling ratio decreased. Interestingly, its water vapor barrier property was also significantly increased. The developed chitosan-based nanocomposite film showed potent antioxidant activity, and it is promising for active food packaging.

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Evolution of biobased and nanotechnology packaging – a review

Nordic Pulp & Paper Research Journal ◽

10.1515/npprj-2020-0042 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 35 (4) ◽

pp. 491-515

Author(s):

Tom Lindström ◽

Folke Österberg

Keyword(s):

Biodegradable Polymers ◽

Food Packaging ◽

Environmental Issues ◽

Barrier Properties ◽

Environmental Problems ◽

Layer By Layer ◽

Polyelectrolyte Complexes ◽

Life Issues ◽

Technological Developments ◽

End Of Life Issues

AbstractThis review deals with the evolution of bio-based packaging and the emergence of various nanotechnologies for primary food packaging. The end-of life issues of packaging is discussed and particularly the environmental problems associated with microplastics in the marine environment, which serve as a vector for the assimilation of persistent organic pollutants in the oceans and are transported into the food chain via marine and wild life. The use of biodegradable polymers has been a primary route to alleviate these environmental problems, but for various reasons the market has not developed at a sufficient pace that would cope with the mentioned environmental issues. Currently, the biodegradable plastics only constitute a small fraction of the fossil-based plastic market. Fossil-based plastics are, however, indispensable for food safety and minimization of food waste, and are not only cheap, but has generally more suitable mechanical and barrier properties compared to biodegradable polymers. More recently, various nanotechnologies such as the use of nanoclays, nanocellulose, layer-by-layer technologies and polyelectrolyte complexes have emerged as viable technologies to make oxygen and water vapor barriers suitable for food packaging. These technological developments are highlighted as well as issues like biodegradation, recycling, legislation issues and safety and toxicity of these nanotechnologies.

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Nanocomposites Materials of PLA Reinforced with Nanoclays Using a Masterbatch Technology: A Study of the Mechanical Performance and Its Sustainability

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13132133 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (13) ◽

pp. 2133

Author(s):

Helena Oliver-Ortega ◽

Josep Tresserras ◽

Fernando Julian ◽

Manel Alcalà ◽

Alba Bala ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Food Packaging ◽

Mechanical Performance ◽

Polymeric Materials ◽

Barrier Properties ◽

Food Tray ◽

Environmental Concerns ◽

Poly Lactic Acid ◽

The Matrix ◽

Surface Modified ◽

Being Moved

Packaging consumes around 40% of the total plastic production. One of the most important fields with high requirements is food packaging. Food packaging products have been commonly produced with petrol polymers, but due to environmental concerns, the market is being moved to biopolymers. Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) is the most promising biopolymer, as it is bio-based and biodegradable, and it is well established in the market. Nonetheless, its barrier properties need to be enhanced to be competitive with other polymers such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Nanoclays improve the barrier properties of polymeric materials if correct dispersion and exfoliation are obtained. Thus, it marks a milestone to obtain an appropriate dispersion. A predispersed methodology is proposed as a compounding process to improve the dispersion of these composites instead of common melt procedures. Afterwards, the effect of the polarity of the matrix was analyzing using polar and surface modified nanoclays with contents ranging from 2 to 8% w/w. The results showed the suitability of the predispersed and concentrated compound, technically named masterbatch, to obtain intercalated structures and the higher dispersion of polar nanoclays. Finally, the mechanical performance and sustainability of the prepared materials were simulated in a food tray, showing the best assessment of these materials and their lower fingerprint.

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