Development of multilayer films with improved aroma barrier properties for durian packaging application

Abstract

The symmetrical A/B/A structure of multilayer blown films was fabricated in this study. The immiscible low-density polyethylene/polylactic acid (LDPE/PLA) blend was set as a core (B) layer and LDPE was used as skin (A) layers. The compositions of PLA in the core layer were varied from 20 to 50 wt%. The thickness of each layer was 10 μm (total film thickness of~30 μm). In a blown film co-extrusion process, the morphology of the fiber/ribbon-like structures of LDPE/PLA blend was developed.Such structures had interesting effects on gas permeability and aroma barrier properties of the films. For instance, multilayer LDPE films containing 40 and 50 wt% PLA (P40 and P50) showed the reduction of oxygen permeability (PO 2 ) approximately 20% and 43%, respectively, compared with the neat LDPE film. A long tortuous path for gas and aroma transportation through film thickness was created from the developed ribbon-like structures of the PLA minor phase. For durian packaging application, fresh-cut durian of 300 g was packed in the developed multilayer films, LDPE, and HDPE (Control), stored at 4°C for 7 days. Results demonstrated that the steadystate condition of 10% to 13% O 2 and 8% to 10% CO 2 was achieved in all packages except in the HDPE. Moreover, the P40 and P50 films exhibited an outstanding aroma barrier property for three major durian volatiles: diethyl sulfide, ethyl propanoate, and 2-ethyl-1-hexanol. Overall results clearly indicated that the multilayer LDPE films containing PLA exhibited a significantly improved aroma barrier performance with optimum gas permeability desirable for modified atmosphere packaging to retain quality of fresh-cut durian throughout the storage period. KEYWORDS aroma barrier packaging, low-density polyethylene, modified atmosphere packaging, multilayer film, polylactic acid

Phase Equilibria and Interdiffusion in Bimodal High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) and Linear Low-Density Polyethylene (LLDPE) Based Compositions

“…In the literature, increased interest in such compositions is associated with the lower cost of polymers and the possibility of combining the positive properties of chemically similar types of PE, that have different density, molecular weight, rheological and performance properties, in one material. Mixtures of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) with monomodal copolymers of α-olefins LLDPE (butene-1, hexene-1, octene-1), high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with LDPE [ 7 , 8 , 9 ], HDPE with LLDPE [ 2 , 7 , 10 ] have been studied and characterized in detail and are widely used in film, membrane, and packaging production [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. In these works, considerable attention is paid to the analysis of their rheological, mechanical, thermal, structural and morphological properties.…”

“…In these works, considerable attention is paid to the analysis of their rheological, mechanical, thermal, structural and morphological properties. A special place in these studies is occupied by the studies of compatibility of components of the compositions [ 12 , 13 , 14 ], and in the case of ternary copolymers of LLDPE, the identification of the features of interdiffusion with HDPE. At the same time, HDPE obtained on titanium–magnesium Ziegler–Natta catalysts can be presented both as a homopolymer of ethylene with a narrow average molecular weight distribution (MWD) and as a copolymer of ethylene with α-olefin with a wide MWD (more often bimodal), which differ in the level of molecular weights, the presence of branching and compositional heterogeneity, which ultimately determines the properties of these PEs.…”

Functionality and Applicability of Starch-Based Films: An Eco-Friendly Approach

“…This process depends on polymers' thermoplastic behavior whenever plasticization and heating occur above the glass transition temperature (T g ) and reduced water level conditions [45].…”

High-Oxygen-Barrier Multilayer Films Based on Polyhydroxyalkanoates and Cellulose Nanocrystals

“…Today, there are different methods for the preparation of multilayers, for instance, layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly [31], co-extrusion [32], co-injection stretch blow molding [33], lamination [34], metallization [35], and coatings by plasma [36] or solvent casting [37]. More recently, electrospinning has emerged as an innovative technique to generate polymer mats composed of fibers with diameters ranging from micro-to nanoscale via the action of high-electric fields, allowing the formation of coatings and monolayers of interest in the packaging industry [38][39][40].…”