Enhancing Gas Transmission Rate of PBS/PBAT Composite Films: A Study on Microperforated Film Solutions for Mango Storage.

This study focused on improving the mechanical properties of the poly(butylene succinate) (PBS) film by incorporation of poly(butyrate adipate terephthalate) (PBAT). At 20 wt % PBAT, elongation in the transverse direction improved by 373% while maintaining high tensile strength (27 MPa) and Young's modulus (262 MPa). The PBS80/PBAT20 composite film exhibited optimized mechanical properties. The absorbance coefficient of microperforated film at 980/cm for the 80PBS/20PBAT mix, corresponding to the 10.2 μm CO laser wavelength, was 65/cm, indicating high film capability to absorb energy from the CO laser. The introduction of microholes enhanced the gas permeability of the PBS/PBAT film. As fluences increased from 187 to 370 J/cm, there was a notable increase in microhole area in 80PBS/20PBAT film from 19,375 to 46,421 μm. Concurrently, the gas transmission rate for a singular hole increased from 45 to 210 cm/d for the oxygen transmission rate (OTR) and from 115 to 220 cm/d for the CO transmission rate (COTR). For mango packed in microperforated 80PBS/20PBAT films, the O levels inside the package gradually dropped and remained at 14.2% in PBS80/PBAT20-MP1 (OTR ∼ 68,900 cm/m·d) and 16.7% in PBS80/PBAT20-MP2 (OTR ∼ 131,900 cm/m·d), while CO content increased to 6% for PBS80/PBAT20-MP1 and 4% for PBS80/PBAT20-MP2 throughout 33 days. On day 2 of storage in the nonperforated package, O content dropped to 2% while CO content rose to 22%. Mango packed in the 80PBS/20PBAT film package exhibited an unsatisfactory freshness quality due to the detection of a fermentative odor on day 5 of the storage period. Total soluble solids, color, and weight loss of mango remained stable during storage in all microperforated films. Results demonstrated that the mango shelf life was significantly extended by 35 days using 80PBS/20PBAT-MP1. Laser perforation offered a practical method for improving gas transmission rates (OTR and COTR) of 80PBS/20PBAT film for mango packaging.