Improvement of mechanical, thermal and antimicrobial properties of organically modified montmorillonite loaded polycaprolactone for food packaging

Abstract

The aim of this study is to evaluate the biodegradable packaging materials which will be an alternative to traditional synthetic packaging materials. For this purpose, packaging films containing polycaprolactone (PCL), montmorillonite (MMT), and organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) were prepared by solution casting method, and the mechanical, physical, structural, antimicrobial, and antifungal properties of these films were examined. Cetyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) was used for the modification of montmorillonite. The structural properties of the prepared films were characterized by attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared, X-ray powder diffraction, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. The PCL/OMMT structure was found to be thermally more stable than the PCL/MMT structure. The addition of OMMT to PCL improved the thermal and mechanical properties of the films compared with the pure PCL and PCL/MMT films. In addition, adding MMT/OMMT to the PCL caused an increase in the hardness of the films. In the antimicrobial analysis, while no inhibition effect was observed in PCL/MMT films, PCL/OMMT films showed inhibition effect against Staphylococcus aureus. Antifungal tests performed with the prepared films showed that the film-wrapped bread did not deteriorate for 40 days. It is thought that PCL/MMT and PCL/OMMT films prepared in this study will provide an advantage in applications as packaging material.

Recent advances in biobased and biodegradable polymer nanocomposites, nanoparticles, and natural antioxidants for antibacterial and antioxidant food packaging applications

“…The antibacterial properties of these compounds are mainly related to their shape and small size, which can be controlled by different methods of synthesis (Cui et al., 2021a). These materials have been widely applied for the sustained release of antibacterial actives for microbiological control and to prolong the shelf‐life of foods (Giannakas et al., 2020; Seyrek et al., 2021; Zhan et al., 2021).…”

Enhancing anti‐biofouling property by incorporating graphene oxide‐silver nanocomposite into polycaprolactone membrane for ultrafiltration application

“…23 PCL has gained interest in tissue engineering, food packaging, cosmetics, and controlled release of drugs and pharmaceuticals. 24 Also, its miscibility with a wide range of polymers has made it an important polymer. 22 In this study, PCL/GO-Ag ultrafiltration membranes were fabricated for the first time and their antibacterial properties were analyzed.…”

Modified Polymer Surfaces: Thin Films of Silicate Composites via Polycaprolactone Melt Fusion

“…The properties of PCL composites depend much on the method of preparation (melt extrusion, monomer polymerization, solution casting) [ 6 , 7 , 8 ] and hence the possible applications of PCL nanocomposites are very broad. They are often used as additives to other polymers to improve their mechanical or thermal properties [ 6 , 9 ] and exhibit antimicrobial properties, either alone [ 10 , 11 ] or in combination with other active nanoparticles [ 12 , 13 ] or molecules [ 14 ]. The biocompatibility of clay/PCL nanocomposites has been reported [ 15 ] and phenomena of slow release of drug molecules or bioactive substances from PCL composites have also been investigated [ 14 , 16 , 17 ].…”