Water vapour barrier performance of corn-zein coated polypropylene (PP) packaging films

Abstract

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.

Graphene Derivatives in Biopolymer-Based Composites for Food Packaging Applications

“…To improve zein films, several different options have been explored: adding plasticizers (e.g., oleic acid, polyethylene glycol, glycerol, etc.) [ 128 , 129 ], adding micro- or nanoparticles (e.g., zinc or silver) [ 129 , 130 ], using other biopolymers to create better biopolymer blends (e.g., PP, PLA, etc. ), [ 123 , 125 , 129 , 131 , 132 ] or adding other compounds (e.g., tannic acid, gamma-Cyclodextrin, etc.)…”

“…[ 128 , 129 ], adding micro- or nanoparticles (e.g., zinc or silver) [ 129 , 130 ], using other biopolymers to create better biopolymer blends (e.g., PP, PLA, etc. ), [ 123 , 125 , 129 , 131 , 132 ] or adding other compounds (e.g., tannic acid, gamma-Cyclodextrin, etc.) which can provide different supplementary abilities (e.g., antioxidant, antibacterial properties) [ 130 , 132 , 133 ].…”

Muntingia calabura Mucilage as a Antibacterial Coating for Grape fruits

“…Thus the edible coating improves the food quality and extend the shelf-life of fresh produce. It is effective in preventing the microbial contamination [1]. The edible coating technology has been considered as one of the potential approaches to protect the losses of fruits during post-harvest handling [2].…”