Barrino Federico, De La Rosa-Ramírez Harrison, Schiraldi Chiara, López-Martínez Juan, Samper María Dolores
Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Via L. De Crecchio 7, 80138 Naples, Italy.
Institute of Materials Technology (ITM), Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), 46022 Alicante, Spain.
Polymers (Basel). 2023 Feb 28;15(5):1212. doi: 10.3390/polym15051212.
Sea and environmental pollution due to microplastics are global problems that in recent years have attracted particular interest in the scientific community. The increase in the world population and the consequent consumerism of non-reusable materials are amplifying these problems. In this manuscript, we present novel bioplastics, which are completely biodegradable, for their potential use in food packaging, to replace fossil-fuel-derived plastic films and slow food degradation due to oxidative processes or microbial contamination. In this study, thin films based on polybutylene succinate (PBS) were prepared to reduce pollution, and different percentages by weight (1, 2 and 3 wt%) of extra virgin olive oil (EVO) and coconut oil (CO) were included to improve the chemico-physical properties of the polymer and possibly improve the functionality of the films in terms of prolonged food preservation. Attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR/FTIR) spectroscopy was used to evaluate the interactions between the polymer and the oil. Furthermore, the mechanical properties and thermal behavior of the films were evaluated as a function of the oil content. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) micrograph showed the surface morphology and the thickness of the materials. Finally, apple and kiwi were selected for a food-contact test, and the wrapped sliced fruit was monitored and evaluated for 12 days to macroscopically evaluate the oxidative process and/or eventually occurring contamination. The films were shown to reduce the browning of sliced fruit due to oxidation, and no molds were evidenced up to 10/12 days of observation with the addition of PBS, with 3 wt% of EVO achieving the best outcomes.
微塑料造成的海洋和环境污染是全球性问题，近年来引起了科学界的特别关注。世界人口的增长以及随之而来的对不可重复使用材料的消费主义正在加剧这些问题。在本论文中，我们展示了新型生物塑料，它们完全可生物降解，具有用于食品包装的潜在用途，以取代化石燃料衍生的塑料薄膜，并减缓由于氧化过程或微生物污染导致的食品降解。在本研究中，制备了基于聚丁二酸丁二醇酯（PBS）的薄膜以减少污染，并加入不同重量百分比（1%、2%和3%）的特级初榨橄榄油（EVO）和椰子油（CO），以改善聚合物的化学物理性质，并可能在延长食品保存方面改善薄膜的功能。采用衰减全反射傅里叶变换红外（ATR/FTIR）光谱来评估聚合物与油之间的相互作用。此外，还根据油含量评估了薄膜的机械性能和热行为。扫描电子显微镜（SEM）显微照片显示了材料的表面形态和厚度。最后，选择苹果和猕猴桃进行食品接触测试，并对包裹的切片水果进行12天的监测和评估，以宏观评估氧化过程和/或最终发生的污染。结果表明，这些薄膜可减少切片水果因氧化而导致的褐变，在添加PBS的情况下，观察10/12天内均未发现霉菌，添加3 wt%的EVO时效果最佳。
