a b s t r a c tA novel corn-zein coating structure on polypropylene (PP) films was developed to examine its feasibility as an alternative water vapor and oxygen-barrier for flexible packaging industry. The barrier properties of the resulting films were evaluated as affected by coating formulation (solvent, corn-zein, plasticizer concentration and plasticizer type). Corn-zein with different amounts (5% and 15%) was dissolved in 70% and 95% aqueous ethanol solution at 50°C, respectively. Solutions of corn-zein plasticized by polyethylene glycol (PEG) and glycerol (GLY) with various levels (20% and 50%) were applied on corona-dischargedtreated PP by using solvent-casting method. The significant improvements in water vapor and oxygenbarrier properties of uncoated PP films were obtained with corn-zein coating. Water vapor permeability (WVP) of the coated films decreased significantly with increasing corn-zein concentration. The application of plasticized corn-zein coating on PP films showed nearly more than three order of reduction in oxygen permeability (OP). The high water vapor and oxygen-barriers were obtained for films coated with coating formulation consisting of higher amounts of corn-zein plasticized by GLY. The statistical analysis defined the key parameters of coating formulation that had major effect on the final properties of coated PP films as corn-zein, plasticizer concentration, and plasticizer type.
In this study, a novel film structure of corn zein coated on polypropylene (PP) synthetic films for food packaging applications was developed, and the mechanical properties of the resulting coated film, as affected by the coating formulation, were investigated. Composite structures of PP films coated with corn zein were obtained through a simple solvent casting method. Different amounts of corn zein (5 and 15%) were dissolved in 70 and 95% aqueous ethanol solution at 50 C. Solutions of corn zein plasticized with poly(ethylene glycol) and glycerol (GLY) at various levels (20 and 50%) were applied on corona-discharge-treated PP. A statistical analysis based on full factorial design was performed to examine the influence of the coating formulation on the final properties of the corn-zein-coated PP films. A significant (p < 0.05) improvement in the coated film's mechanical properties was observed compared to those of the uncoated PP. The effect of the plasticization of the coating solutions was also quite significant. In general, GLY provided better improvements in the mechanical properties of the corn-zein-coated PP films. The statistical analysis of the results showed that the corn-zein and plasticizer concentrations and plasticizer type used in the coating formulations were more effective parameters and had significant effects on the mechanical behavior of the coated PP films. In conclusion, corn-zein coatings could have potential as alternatives to conventional synthetic polymers used in composite multilayer structures for food packaging applications.
The novel film structure of corn-zein coated on polypropylene (PP) synthetic film for packaging industry was developed to examine the feasibility of resulting coated films as an alternative water barrier performance for food packaging. The effects of coating formulation (solvent, corn-zein, plasticizer concentration and plasticizer type) on final properties of films were observed. Corn-zein is the most important protein of corn and has good film forming property. Composites structures of PP films coated with corn-zein were obtained through a simple solvent casting method. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and glycerol (GLY) were used as plasticizer to increase film flexibility. Statistical analysis based on full factorial design was performed to observe coating formulation effects. The high water vapour barriers were obtained for films coated with coating formulation consisting of higher amounts of corn-zein plasticized by GLY. The lower glass transition temperatures (T g ) of films were obtained by plasticization of films and T g decreased by increasing plasticizer content. The statistical analysis defined the key parameters of coating formulation that had major effects on the final properties of coated PP films as corn-zein, plasticizer concentration and plasticizer type. In conclusion, corn-zein coatings could have potential as an alternative to conventional synthetic polymers used in composite multilayer structures for food packaging applications.
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