Myalenko Dmitry, Fedotova Olga, Agarkov Aleksandr, Sirotin Sergey, Poletaeva Polina
All-Russian Dairy Research Institute (VNIMI), 115093 Moscow, Russia.
Polymers (Basel). 2025 Aug 9;17(16):2182. doi: 10.3390/polym17162182.
The demand for modified packaging materials increases annually. At the same time, there is growing interest in the development of functional packaging. The incorporation of modifiers, stabilizers, and fillers into polymer matrices can enhance the functionality of the material but may also negatively affect its safety. Polymers are susceptible to degradation, which negatively affects their strength and tensile properties under external factors (physical, chemical or environmental). Packaging containing antimicrobial and antioxidant agents is among the most promising, as it contributes to the product quality during storage. Films based on calcium carbonate (CaCO) and dihydroquercetin (DHQ) remain insufficiently studied, despite their potential. Such materials are especially relevant for fatty products with a large contact surface area, including butter, cheese, and other solid high-fat foods. This study aimed to comprehensively investigate the structural and tensile properties of polyethylene films modified with varying contents of CaCO and DHQ. The films were produced via blown film extrusion using a laboratory extruder (SJ-28). Surface analysis was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to examine the film's composition. The results showed that the introduction of more than 40.0 wt.% of CaCO into the polymer base affected the strength properties. The conducted studies of the physical and mechanical properties of LDPE film samples filled with CaCO showed significant changes in the samples containing more than 50.0 wt.% of the filler, with an increase in strength of more than 40.0%. The relative elongation at break after 50.0 wt.% decreased by more than 75.0%. These results indicate that to achieve the best strength properties for packaging materials, it is recommended to fill them to a maximum of 40.0 wt.%. The introduction of the antioxidant DHQ had almost no effect on the strength of the modified films. SEM analysis of films with high CaCO content and DHQ revealed visible antioxidant particles on the film surface, suggesting enhanced antioxidant potential at the interface between the film and dairy products. AFM analysis confirmed that a CaCO 40.0 wt.% content altered the surface roughness and heterogeneity of the films. FTIR spectroscopy revealed that the incorporation of CaCO influenced the overall spectral profile of polyethylene, resulting in decreased peak intensities depending on the concentration of the filler. Based on these results, the modified polyethylene-based film with CaCO and DHQ shows potential for use as food packaging with antioxidant properties.
对改性包装材料的需求逐年增加。与此同时，人们对功能性包装的开发兴趣也在不断增长。将改性剂、稳定剂和填料加入聚合物基体中可以增强材料的功能，但也可能对其安全性产生负面影响。聚合物容易降解，在外部因素（物理、化学或环境因素）作用下，这会对其强度和拉伸性能产生负面影响。含有抗菌剂和抗氧化剂的包装是最有前景的包装之一，因为它有助于在储存期间保持产品质量。尽管基于碳酸钙（CaCO）和二氢槲皮素（DHQ）的薄膜具有潜力，但对其研究仍不充分。此类材料对于具有大接触表面积的脂肪类产品尤其重要，包括黄油、奶酪和其他固体高脂肪食品。本研究旨在全面研究用不同含量的CaCO和DHQ改性的聚乙烯薄膜的结构和拉伸性能。薄膜通过使用实验室挤出机（SJ - 28）的吹膜挤出法生产。使用扫描电子显微镜（SEM）和原子力显微镜（AFM）进行表面分析。采用傅里叶变换红外（FTIR）光谱法检测薄膜的成分。结果表明，向聚合物基体中引入超过40.0 wt.%的CaCO会影响强度性能。对填充CaCO的低密度聚乙烯薄膜样品进行的物理和力学性能研究表明，在填料含量超过50.0 wt.%的样品中出现了显著变化，强度增加超过40.0%。在50.0 wt.%之后，断裂伸长率相对下降超过75.0%。这些结果表明，为使包装材料获得最佳强度性能，建议填料填充量最高为40.0 wt.%。抗氧化剂DHQ的引入对改性薄膜的强度几乎没有影响。对高CaCO含量和DHQ的薄膜进行SEM分析时，在薄膜表面发现了可见的抗氧化剂颗粒，这表明在薄膜与乳制品的界面处抗氧化潜力增强。AFM分析证实，40.0 wt.%的CaCO含量改变了薄膜的表面粗糙度和不均匀性。FTIR光谱显示，CaCO的加入影响了聚乙烯的整体光谱特征，导致峰强度根据填料浓度而降低。基于这些结果，含有CaCO和DHQ的改性聚乙烯基薄膜显示出作为具有抗氧化性能的食品包装的潜力。
