Pack 1162.zip PATCHED

Biodegradable food packaging systems are in increasing demand in response to the environmental issues of modern society. The long-term environmental impact of plastic packaging waste is an increasing global concern with regard to the safety of marine environments, since limited disposal methods pose a serious challenge in food safety (Shankar and Rhim 2018; Han et al. 2018; Okunola et al. 2019). Such issues have sparked increasing interest in the development of biodegradable packaging materials using polymers with properties that are comparable to those of synthetic plastic packaging materials. In particular, recent efforts have been focused on the development of antimicrobial and biodegradable polymer films for food packaging applications with good mechanical stability, while preserving the freshness and flavor of food products with longer shelf life to reduce food waste from spoilage (Ahmed et al. 2017; Agrillo et al. 2019; Huang et al. 2019). Traditional petroleum-based polymeric materials, including polyethylene (Manikantan et al. 2014), polycarbonate (Dhapte et al. 2015), polyethylene terephthalate (Lei et al. 2014), polyvinylchloride, polypropylene, polystyrene, and polyamides have typically been used as packaging materials. However, environmental concerns with respect to their production and disposal have necessitated the search for environmentally benign alternatives with comparable thermal, mechanical, and barrier properties. Polymer films offer an attractive alternative because of their naturally good thermal, mechanical, and inhibitory properties, easy accessibility, facile production, and biodegradability (K. et al. 2019). Bioplastics have been used for various industrial applications, for example, disposable housewares, medical devices, purchaser hardware, bags, and food packaging. When these materials are used for food contact, they must preserve the food quality and ensure that they do not impart any quality to food that could alter its sensory properties or present a risk to consumer health (Aznar et al. 2019).

Pack 1162.zip

This study is focused on the investigation of a biodegradable PVA-based material proposed for use in food packaging. PVA is among the synthetic polymers widely used for food packaging owing to its biodegradability, non-toxicity, good film-forming ability, water processability, ready availability, and low cost. This polymer has numerous applications, including as food packaging material (as film, layer in composite films, coating for films of different nature), as a coating agent for food supplements, protein purification, enzyme immobilization, membrane separation, pharmaceutical and cosmetics industrial use, and several medical applications, as well as in the paper and textile industries (Tripathi et al. 2009). It has been utilized in the commercial packaging industry because of its unique attributes including excellent film-forming ability, biodegradability, barrier to gases, and optical and mechanical properties (Mittal et al. 2016). However, PVA polymers still suffer from issues related to high water solubility, low tensile strength, and high degree of water absorption. The tendency for food to interact with its packaging is a factor that can significantly affect food quality, appearance, and shelf life. These issues can be overcome by the fabrication of polymer blends with cross-linking materials that improve the ideal properties of the film (Sachin Mane and Chavan 2016). Therefore, improving the stability of PVA films is essential for its application in different fields. As reported in the literature (Yao et al. 2003; Figueiredo et al. 2009), physical and chemical cross-linking are both effective routes, with chemical cross-linking most frequently employed. Cross-linking reagents are critical, and include organic and inorganic reagents. Organic components including dimethyl carbonate (Li et al. 2017), formaldehyde (Pan et al. 2015), glutaraldehyde (Destaye et al. 2013), dicarboxylic acids (Siracusa et al. 2008), and so forth (Gohil et al. 2006; Tang et al. 2007); inorganic reagents including phosphoric acid (Prajapati et al. 2010) and boric acid (Chen et al. 2015), which are capable of reacting with the hydroxyl group of PVA, can be used to fine-tune its physicochemical properties.

This study demonstrates that modification of PVA utilizing different OAs can significantly affect the hydrophilic/hydrophobic space microstructure, which results in bactericidal activity. Consequently, we aim to determine the effects of a cross-linking agent on the physicochemical properties, microstructure, and bioactivity of PVA films. Three cross-linking agents, i.e., lactic acid, tartaric acid, and malic acid, were used to evaluate the impact of these OAs on the mechanical and biological properties, water absorption, water solubility, optical properties, and bactericidal activity, with a view towards their use in food packaging applications. 041b061a72