Functional and antimicrobial properties of cellulose acetate films incorporated with sweet fennel essential oil and plasticizers

Abstract

Cellulose acetate (CA) films with sweet fennel essential oil (FEO) were evaluated for possible changes caused by the incorporation of 5, 10, 20 and 30% glycerol. The results show that the incorporation of different concentrations of plasticizer caused an increase in thickness, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), tensile strength (TS), besides altering the optical properties and demonstrating possible chemical interaction with the CA matrix (Fourier transform infrared (FTIR)). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed that the addition of glycerol caused morphological changes on the surface and internal region of all films. As for antimicrobial activity, the FEO was effective for Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli . However, all films evaluated did not show activity in inhibiting these microorganisms. Therefore, it is believed that the FEO may have some incompatibility with the CA matrix, being trapped between the polymer chains. Therefore, the results suggest that the incorporation of glycerol caused changes in the functional properties of all films, although it did not result in measurable antimicrobial effects.

The synergistic effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles and fennel essential oil on physicochemical, mechanical, and antibacterial properties of potato starch films

“…due to the addition of nanoparticles has also been reported by other researchers (Kanmani & Rhim, 2014;Rhim et al, 2013;Zolfi et al, 2014). Gonçalves et al (2020) also observed that due to the addition of sweet fennel essential oil to the cellulose acetate films, the amount of L* decreased, but a* and b* increased. Sun et al (2020) also demonstrated a significant reduction in lightness intensity of konjac glucomannan/chitosan films due to the incorporation of nano-ZnO and mulberry extract.…”

“…The essential oil of fennel is an important source of medicinal and active compounds such as antioxidants and antimicrobial compounds (Chang, Mohammadi Nafchi, et al, 2016). The antimicrobial activity of fennel essential oil has been reported in different studies (Chang, Abbaspour, et al, 2016;Gonçalves et al, 2020).…”

Biodegradable film production from agroforestry and fishery residues with active compounds

“…According to other authors, an increment in the WVTR was noticed due to the glycerol addition in films (Gontard et al, 1993). Moreover, the type and concentration of plasticizer can cause modifications in the barrier properties of polymeric films (Moreira Gonçalves et al, 2020). It would be expected to achieve lower WVTR for films with the plasticizer.…”

“…Mechanical properties were, in general, enhanced by the addition of glycerol, and its use tends to desirably alter the tensile strength and elongation properties at break, as well as to decrease the moisture barrier of materials (Vlacha et al, 2016). The action of this plasticizer consists in causing changes in the polymer network, with consequent increase of flexibility and reduction of the tensile strength of the films (Moreira Gonçalves et al, 2020). Moreover, the increased flexibility of films with glycerol may be due to the interaction of plasticizer-polymer chains which facilitates the sliding of chain and therefore improves the overall flexibility and chain mobility (Farahnaky et al, 2013;Mujtaba et al, 2019;Ren et al, 2017;Vlacha et al 2016).…”

Evaluation of New Antimicrobial Materials Incorporating Ethyl Lauroyl Arginate or Silver into Different Matrices, and Their Safety in Use as Potential Packaging

“…The literature provides evidence of successful developments and applications of antimicrobial packaging mainly based on essential oils [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ], but surprisingly there are very few effective antimicrobial packaging available on the market [ 15 , 16 ]. This is because the development and production of materials incorporating high antimicrobial activity compounds able to be effective in vivo are very challenging.…”