scholarly journals Evaluation of the Suitability of Poly(Lactide)/Poly(Butylene-Adipate-co-Terephthalate) Blown Films for Chilled and Frozen Food Packaging Applications

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 804 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arianna Pietrosanto ◽  
Paola Scarfato ◽  
Luciano Di Maio ◽  
Maria Rossella Nobile ◽  
Loredana Incarnato
Keyword(s):  
Food Packaging ◽  
Viscosity Ratio ◽  
Barrier Properties ◽  
Packaging Material ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Blown Films ◽  
Frozen Food ◽  
Plastic Materials ◽  
Wide Range

The use of biopolymers can reduce the environmental impact generated by plastic materials. Among biopolymers, blends made of poly(lactide) (PLA) and poly(butylene-adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) prove to have adequate performances for food packaging applications. Therefore, the present work deals with the production and the characterization of blown films based on PLA and PBAT blends in a wide range of compositions, in order to evaluate their suitability as chilled and frozen food packaging materials, thus extending their range of applications. The blends were fully characterized: they showed the typical two-phase structure, with a morphology varying from fibrillar to globular in accordance with their viscosity ratio. The increase of PBAT content in the blends led to a decrease of the barrier properties to oxygen and water vapor, and to an increase of the toughness of the films. The mechanical properties of the most ductile blends were also evaluated at 4 °C and −25 °C. The decrease in temperature caused an increase of the stiffness and a decrease of the ductility of the films to a different extent, depending upon the blend composition. The blend with 40% of PLA revealed to be a good candidate for chilled food packaging applications, while the blend with a PLA content of 20% revealed to be the best composition as frozen food packaging material.

scholarly journals Preparation and Characterization of Films Based on Disintegrated Bacterial Cellulose and Montmorillonite

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agata Sommer ◽  
Hanna Staroszczyk ◽  
Izabela Sinkiewicz ◽  
Piotr Bruździak
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Cellulose ◽  
Food Packaging ◽  
Barrier Properties ◽  
Packaging Material ◽  
Mechanical And Thermal Properties ◽  
Natural Polymers ◽  
Vapour Permeability ◽  
Water Barrier ◽  
Bond Network

AbstractThe food packaging materials from natural polymers including polysaccharides offer an ecologically important alternative to commonly used synthetic, non-biodegradable counterparts. The purpose of this work was to modify of bacterial cellulose (BC) leading to the improvement of its functional properties in terms of use as a food packaging material. Effects of disintegration of BC and addition of montmorillonite (MMT) on its water barrier, mechanical and thermal properties were investigated. Disintegration of BC increased its water vapour permeability (WVP) and thermal stability, but decreased its tensile strength (σ). These changes were closely related to the rearrangement of hydrogen-bond network in the BC structure, resulting in a partial conversion from the Iα to Iβ allomorph. The addition of 2% of MMT did not affect WVP and σ of the disintegrated BC (bBC), while the plasticization of the modified bBC generally decreased WVP, and did not increase σ. The improvement in water barrier properties of bBC modified by adding 2% of MMT in the presence of glycerol was caused by the formation of hydrogen bonds between the components of the composite. The results presented show the potential usefulness of BC modified by disintegration and adding 2% of MMT and 10–15% of glycerol as a food packaging material.

Determination of Bio Content in Polymers used in the Packaging of food Products

Radiocarbon ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 61 (6) ◽  
pp. 1973-1981
Author(s):  
C Telloli ◽  
A Rizzo ◽  
C Canducci ◽  
P Bartolomei
Keyword(s):  
Food Packaging ◽  
Liquid Scintillation ◽  
Scintillation Counting ◽  
Operational Parameters ◽  
Original Design ◽  
Plastic Materials ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Scintillation Method

ABSTRACTThe ENEA Radiocarbon Laboratory (Bologna, Italy) has been operating since 1985; it is the oldest among such laboratories operating in Italy and has been active for about 30 years in the field of dating of different types of samples with the radiocarbon (14C) liquid scintillation method. This study shows the detailed procedure for radiocarbon analysis on bioplastic materials by means of the synthesis of benzene, which includes CO2 production and purification, synthesis of acetylene, and synthesis and collection of benzene. The changes made to the original design of the synthesis procedures and the operational parameters adopted to optimize the combustion of the plastic materials are described. The measurement of 14C activity was performed using the liquid scintillation counting technique by a QuantulusTM 1220 low-background counter. The δ13C content was compared with the percentage of 14C concentration for the characterization of the bio content in plastic used in the food packaging.

Natural paper-layered composites with air barrier properties achieved by coating with bacterial cellulose

BioResources ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 9569-9574
Author(s):  
Marta Kaźmierczak ◽  
Tomasz P. Olejnik ◽  
Magdalena Kmiotek
Keyword(s):  
Bacterial Cellulose ◽  
Food Packaging ◽  
Barrier Properties ◽  
Cellulose Fibers ◽  
Packaging Material ◽  
Layered Composites ◽  
Chemical Additives ◽  
Cellulosic Fibers ◽  
Biodegradable Packaging ◽  
Cellulose Pulp

In some respects the safest food packaging material is paper that is completely free of chemical additives, made only from primary cellulosic fibers. There is no information in the literature on giving paper barrier properties using nanocellulose without any additives, especially bacterial cellulose, by applying a coating to a fibrous semi-product. In order to prepare paper-layered composites, paper sheets made of beaten or non-beaten softwood or hardwood cellulose pulp, or their 50/50 (wt./wt.) mix, were used in the experiment. After the application of bacterial cellulose onto the sheets, the paper became completely impermeable to air, which means that fine microbial fibers had filled the voids (pores) between plant cellulose fibers. The results of the experiment could be regarded as a perfect, biodegradable packaging material.

scholarly journals Compostable Polylactide and Cellulose Based Packaging for Fresh-Cut Cherry Tomatoes: Performance Evaluation and Influence of Sterilization Treatment

Materials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 3432 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Rapisarda ◽  
Cristina Patanè ◽  
Alessandra Pellegrino ◽  
Angelo Malvuccio ◽  
Valeria Rizzo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Packaging ◽  
Transmission Rate ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Barrier Properties ◽  
Attenuated Total Reflection ◽  
Cherry Tomato ◽  
Plastic Materials ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Fresh Cut

For food packaging, plastic materials display large appeal, mostly due to their versatility, mechanical, optical and barrier properties. However, they play an important role in environmental concerns and waste management issue. Compostable bioplastics represent alternative materials designed for a lower environmental impact. In this work, a biobased compostable packaging, constituted by polylactide (PLA) trays and NatureFlex™ film, was evaluated for fresh-cut cherry tomato. A comparative analysis was accomplished using traditional packaging materials, that is, polyethylene terephtalate (PET) trays and polypropylene (PP Coex) film. Structural stability under food contact conditions, mechanical and physical-chemical properties were investigated. Tensile mechanical properties, puncture resistance, contact angle (CA) and attenuated total reflection Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), before and after UV or radiofrequency (RF) sterilization treatment, were evaluated. UV irradiation method resulted the less invasive one. Therefore, oxygen and water vapor transmission rate (OTR and WVTR), overall chemical migration test, biodegradation assessment by biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) according to ISO 14851 and disintegration test by ISO 20200 were carried out to establish the further influence of UV sterilization on the packaging. Overall, data showed that the biobased compostable packaging for a prolonged shelf-life of fresh-cut cherry tomato has better properties that were surprisingly enhanced by the UV treatment.

scholarly journals Comparison of the Functional Barrier Properties of Chitosan Acetate Films with Conventionally Applied Polymers

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (15) ◽  
pp. 3491
Author(s):  
Andrea Walzl ◽  
Samir Kopacic ◽  
Wolfgang Bauer ◽  
Erich Leitner
Keyword(s):  
Polymer Films ◽  
Food Packaging ◽  
Barrier Properties ◽  
Good Alternative ◽  
Recycled Paper ◽  
Plastic Bags ◽  
Plastic Materials ◽  
Oil Hydrocarbons ◽  
Migration Experiment ◽  
Materials Used

The current demand to cut back on the use of plastic materials has brought a major boost to the search for bio-based alternatives. Not only are plastic bags and primary food packaging under scrutiny here, but also those materials used as functional barriers to reduce, for example, the migration of mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) from recycled paper and board packaging. Most of the barriers now in use are synthetic, often have only moderate barrier functionalities and in addition reduce the environmentally-friendly character of cellulose-based materials. Against this background, bio-based polymers have been evaluated in terms of their functional barrier properties. Chitosan was found to be among the best performers in these materials. In this study, the behavior of a lab-made chitosan acetate film was compared with conventionally produced polymer films. The two-sided migration experiment described recently was used to determine the barrier properties of the tested materials. This not only allowed to test the intrinsic migration of the films and the permeation through them, but also to simulate real packaging situations by using a recycled paper as donor for MOH. The migrated fractions were determined using gas-chromatography-based techniques. While the conventionally produced polymer films showed only moderate barrier function, excellent results were seen for the biopolymer. It reduced the migration from the recycled paper to not detectable, singling it out as a good alternative to conventional materials.

scholarly journals Simulation of slot-coating of nanocellulosic material subject to a wall-stress dependent slip-velocity at die-walls

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Fuaad ◽  
Agne Swerin ◽  
Fredrik Lundell ◽  
Martti Toivakka
Keyword(s):  
Boundary Layer ◽  
Food Packaging ◽  
Wall Stress ◽  
Barrier Properties ◽  
Shear Thinning ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Flow Equations ◽  
Slot Coating ◽  
Apparent Slip ◽  
Stress Dependent

AbstractBio-based nanocellulosic materials are non-toxic, renewable, exhibit excellent barrier properties, and are suitable candidates for sustainable food packaging applications. Sizing and designing coating parameters for slot-coating process using nanocellulose suspensions is challenging due to complex shear-thinning rheology and the presence of a water-rich boundary layer, effecting significant apparent slip at the wall. Previous studies have shown that the flow inside the coating bead can be complex, with occasional stagnation regions and a rheological model incorporating yield stress which should be considered while analyzing slot coating of nanocellulosic flows. This work extends earlier investigations by including the effects of the particle depleted water-rich boundary layer. The suspension is modeled as a Casson fluid with a shear-thinning viscosity, and the particle depletion at the wall is represented by an infinitely thin layer modeled as a local shear-dependent nonlinear slip law. The resulting two-phase flow equations are solved using a Finite Volume Method (FVM) coupled with the Volume of Fluid (VoF) method for tracking the free surface interface. It is observed that slip alters the flow’s dynamics in the coating bead, and the effect of slip cannot be ignored, especially at high shear rates. For thin films, the presence of slip enhances the flow, leading to more material coated on the substrate. In contrast, for thicker coatings, apparent slip leads to an augmentation in stagnant, non-yielded regions, potentially generating uneven surfaces.

Design and Characterization of a New Food Packaging Material by Recycling Blends Virgin and Recovered polyethylene terephthalate

2019 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 250-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatma Masmoudi ◽  
Sébastien Alix ◽  
Stéphane Buet ◽  
Afef Mehri ◽  
Atef Bessadok ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Polyethylene Terephthalate ◽  
Food Packaging ◽  
Packaging Material

scholarly journals Transport efficiency of metachronal waves in 3D cilium arrays immersed in a two-phase flow

2017 ◽  
Vol 824 ◽  
pp. 931-961 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Chateau ◽  
J. Favier ◽  
U. D’Ortona ◽  
S. Poncet
Keyword(s):  
Viscosity Ratio ◽  
Coupling Parameter ◽  
Immersed Boundary ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Epithelial Surface ◽  
Transport Efficiency ◽  
Fluid Environment ◽  
Metachronal Waves ◽  
Two Fluid

This work reports the formation and characterization of antipleptic and symplectic metachronal waves in 3D cilium arrays immersed in a two-fluid environment, with a viscosity ratio of 20. A coupled lattice Boltzmann–immersed-boundary solver is used. The periciliary layer is confined between the epithelial surface and the mucus. Its thickness is chosen such that the tips of the cilia can penetrate the mucus. A purely hydrodynamical feedback of the fluid is taken into account and a coupling parameter $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}$ is introduced, which allows tuning of both the direction of the wave propagation and the strength of the fluid feedback. A comparative study of both antipleptic and symplectic waves, mapping a cilium interspacing ranging from 1.67 up to 5 cilium lengths, is performed by imposing metachrony. Antipleptic waves are found to systematically outperform symplectic waves. They are shown to be more efficient for transporting and mixing the fluids, while spending less energy than symplectic, random or synchronized motions.

scholarly journals Natural Polymers Used in Edible Food Packaging—History, Function and Application Trends as a Sustainable Alternative to Synthetic Plastic

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-58
Author(s):  
Barbara E. Teixeira-Costa ◽  
Cristina T. Andrade
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Food Packaging ◽  
Antioxidant Activities ◽  
Composite Films ◽  
Barrier Properties ◽  
Natural Polymers ◽  
World War ◽  
Biobased Materials ◽  
Plastic Materials ◽  
Low Toxicity

In this review, a historical perspective, functional and application trends of natural polymers used to the development of edible food packaging were presented and discussed. Polysaccharides and proteins, i.e., alginate; carrageenan; chitosan; starch; pea protein, were considered. These natural polymers are important materials obtained from renewable plant, algae and animal sources, as well as from agroindustrial residues. Historically, some of them have been widely used by ancient populations for food packaging until these were replaced by petroleum-based plastic materials after World War II. Nowadays, biobased materials for food packaging have attracted attention. Their use was boosted especially because of the environmental pollution caused by inappropriate disposal of plastic packaging. Biobased materials are welcome to the design of food packaging because they possess many advantages, such as biodegradability, biocompatibility and low toxicity. Depending on the formulation, certain biopolymer-based packaging may present good barrier properties, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities Thus, polysaccharides and proteins can be combined to form diverse composite films with improved mechanical and biological behaviors, making them suitable for packaging of different food products.

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