abstract
Foods with extended shelf life motivate the development of active packaging materials. The addition of functional fillers to polysaccharide-based films is a promising approach. In this line, biochar-ZnO (C-ZnO) composites were obtained from sucrose and glucosamine pyrolyzed in the presence of ZnO particles, resulting in Suc-ZnO and GlcN-ZnO composites, respectively. The influence of different amounts (10%, 30%, and 50 wt%) of C-ZnO structures on the properties of thermoplastic starch-based films was studied, demonstrating that 50 wt% of C-ZnO decreased by 30% the film's water solubility while its stiffness increased by 1.5 times. The highest GlcN-ZnO content allowed to obtain the best electrical conductivity (6.7 x 10-4 S/m), antioxidant activity (around 70% of ABTS center dot+ inhibition in 8 h), and antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. These starch/C-ZnO films showed the potential to extend food shelf life as a promising active and electrically conductive food packaging system.
keywords
ELECTRICAL-CONDUCTIVITY; ANTIBACTERIAL ACTIVITY; CARBON NANOTUBES; HIGH-PERFORMANCE; WASTE-WATER; NITROGEN; COMPOSITES; NANOPARTICLES; ELECTRODES; FUNCTIONALIZATION
subject category
Engineering; Food Science & Technology
authors
Alves, Z; Brites, P; Ferreira, NM; Figueiredo, G; Otero-Irurueta, G; Goncalves, I; Mendo, S; Ferreira, P; Nunes, C
our authors
Cláudia Nunes
Assistant Researcher
Idalina José Monteiro Gonçalves
Junior Researcher
Nuno Miguel Freitas Ferreira
Post-Doc Fellowship
Paula Celeste da Silva Ferreira
Coordinating Researcher
Paulo Brites
PhD Student
Zélia Ribeiro Alves
Junior ResearcherGroups
G2 - Photonic, Electronic and Magnetic Materials
G4 - Renewable Materials and Circular Economy
Projects
CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDB/50011/2020)
CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDP/50011/2020)
Associated Laboratory CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials (LA/P/0006/2020)
Projeto de Investigação Exploratória: Paula Ferreira (IF_Paula Ferreira)
Embalagens em biocompósitos para preservação ativa de alimentos (BIOFOODPACK)
acknowledgements
This work was developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDB/50011/2020, UIDP/50011/2020 & LA/P/0006/2020) , CESAM (UIDP/50017/2020 + UIDB/50017/2020) and i3N (UIDB/50025/2020 & UIDP/50025/2020) . ZA and PF thank FCT for the grants PD/BD/117457/2016 and IF/00300/2015, respectively. This work was also supported by BIOFOODPACK project (M-ERA.NET2/0019/2016) and by national funds (OE) , through FCT- Fundaca o para a Cie ncia e a Tecnologia, I.P., in the scope of the framework contract foreseen in the numbers 4, 5 and 6 of the article 23, of the Decree-Law 57/2016, of 29 August, changed by Law 57/2017, of 19 July.