Improvement of α‐tocopherols long‐term efficiency by modeling its heterogeneous natural environment in polyethylene

Abstract

The natural antioxidant vitamin E (α‐tocopherol) is of interest to use in packaging applications to decrease the amount of toxic products migrating into food and drugs. We have earlier shown that the long‐term efficiency of α‐tocopherol in polyethylene (PE) films is poor. α‐Tocopherol is located in the lipid phase of the cell in vivo and it has been revealed that it is more efficient in a polar substrate. PE is more hydrophobic and homogenous than the heterogeneous and hydrophilic lipid phase. Three different additive systems were investigated to model α‐tocopherols heterogeneous natural environment in PE. Two of these had carboxylic acid groups, EAA and polyTRIM/PAA core‐shell particles (Core), and the third, oat starch, had no carboxylic acid groups. The materials were thermally aged and characterized by chemiluminescence (CL), FTIR, chromatography, and thermal analysis. The EAA system as well as the Core system improved the antioxidant properties of α‐tocopherol in PE, and the Core system had the best performance. We know that starch has stabilizing properties in PE, but it had no effect on the efficiency of α‐tocopherol. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 1660–1666, 2006

Anti-/Pro-Oxidant Behavior of Naturally Occurring Molecules in Polymers and Biopolymers: A Brief Review

“…However, numerous extractable natural antioxidants are present in medicinal plants and foods, such as fruits, vegetables, cereals, flowers, species, mushrooms, and medicinal herbs. − In the past, the nAO have been considered to hinder the decay and coloring of foods and beverages in the food industry and to prevent the tissue oxidations in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics fields , − and only recently, they have been considered as suitable stabilizers for polymers and biopolymers against their oxidative degradations. − …”

“…As explained above, the oxidative degradation phenomena during processing and service life of polymers and biopolymers can be avoided through the introduction of suitable stabilizing moieties. Therefore, the natural antioxidants that meet specific requests, such as adequate protection ability, low extraction/production costs, appropriate thermal resistance, safety, ecosustainability, and biocompatibility for some industrial applications in the biomedical, agricultural, food packaging, and textile sectors, are mostly: (i) polyphenols , such as quercetin, resveratrol, rosemary, thymol, and lignins; − (ii) phenolic acid derivatives , such as vanillic acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, p -coumaric acid; − (iii) vitamins , such as vitamin E and C; − and (iv) carotenoids , such as β-carotene. − Surprisingly, some of these nAO molecules are able to exert a concentration-dependent anti/pro-oxidant activities and to promote the oxidation phenomena in some biopolymers and polymers, if they are added at high concentrations. − …”

“…However, the potential health and environmental hazards of the synthetic phenolic antioxidants have been noticed related to the migration and diffusion of these molecules into drinking water, beverages, − and food packaging. − Currently, to avoid the risk of uncontrolled release and accumulation of synthetic stabilizers in living organisms, two different strategies have been proposed in the scientific literature, in particular: (i) immobilization of stabilizing molecules onto polymer chains through covalent linkage − or onto different kinds of nanoparticles, such as silica, , layered double hydroxide, − montmorillonite, − and (ii) replacement by naturally occurring molecules , having protection ability similar to that of the synthetic stabilizers. − Therefore, since the nineties of the last century until today, several natural polyphenols, vitamins, and carotenoids, such as quercetin, resveratrol, thymol, licopen, rosemary, vanillic acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, tocopherol, carotene, etc. , are considered reliable ecosustainable and biocompatible candidates, for the formulation of innovative safe materials for the biomedical, agricultura...…”

Influence of α-tocopherol on physicochemical properties of chitosan-based films

“…The prevention of oxidation by addition of antioxidants is highly desirable in preserving fatty acids from oxidative deterioration. Vitamin E is an important antioxidant that can help reduce risk of diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and it is considered a GRAS compound (Strandberg & Albertsson, 2006). The lipophilic compound a-tocopherol is the most abundant and biologically active form of vitamin E (Bramley et al, 2000) and is widely used in the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries.…”

Environmentally Responsive Core/Shell Particles via Electrohydrodynamic Co‐Jetting of Fully Miscible Polymer Solutions

“…Particles with diameters between 100 nm and a few micrometers are of immense interest because of their potential applications as drug‐delivery systems,1–5 sensors,6–7 microreactors,8 in combined imaging and therapeutics (theranostics),9 or as food‐packaging materials 10. In particular, environmentally responsive particles, such as pH‐responsive core/shell particles, have been under intense investigation for their ability to produce custom‐tailored release profiles 11, 12.…”