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Functional Nanocellulose, Alginate and Chitosan Nanocomposites Designed as Active Film Packaging Materials

The aim of the study was to characterize and compare films made of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), nano-fibrils (CNF), and bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) in combination with chitosan and alginate in terms of applicability for potential food packaging applications. In total, 25 different formulations we...

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Autores principales: Lavrič, Gregor, Oberlintner, Ana, Filipova, Inese, Novak, Uroš, Likozar, Blaž, Vrabič-Brodnjak, Urška
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2021
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8348297/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34372125
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/polym13152523
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author Lavrič, Gregor
Oberlintner, Ana
Filipova, Inese
Novak, Uroš
Likozar, Blaž
Vrabič-Brodnjak, Urška
author_facet Lavrič, Gregor
Oberlintner, Ana
Filipova, Inese
Novak, Uroš
Likozar, Blaž
Vrabič-Brodnjak, Urška
author_sort Lavrič, Gregor
collection PubMed
description The aim of the study was to characterize and compare films made of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), nano-fibrils (CNF), and bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) in combination with chitosan and alginate in terms of applicability for potential food packaging applications. In total, 25 different formulations were made and evaluated, and seven biopolymer films with the best mechanical performance (tensile strength, strain)—alginate, alginate with 5% CNC, chitosan, chitosan with 3% CNC, BNC with and without glycerol, and CNF with glycerol—were selected and investigated regarding morphology (SEM), density, contact angle, surface energy, water absorption, and oxygen and water barrier properties. Studies revealed that polysaccharide-based films with added CNC are the most suitable for packaging purposes, and better dispersing of nanocellulose in chitosan than in alginate was observed. Results showed an increase in hydrophobicity (increase of contact angle and reduced moisture absorption) of chitosan and alginate films with the addition of CNC, and chitosan with 3% CNC had the highest contact angle, 108 ± 2, and 15% lower moisture absorption compared to pure chitosan. Overall, the ability of nanocellulose additives to preserve the structure and function of chitosan and alginate materials in a humid environment was convincingly demonstrated. Barrier properties were improved by combining the biopolymers, and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) was reduced by 15–45% and oxygen permeability (OTR) up to 45% by adding nanocellulose compared to single biopolymer formulations. It was concluded that with a good oxygen barrier, a water barrier that is comparable to PLA, and good mechanical properties, biopolymer films would be a good alternative to conventional plastic packaging used for ready-to-eat foods with short storage time.
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spelling pubmed-83482972021-08-08 Functional Nanocellulose, Alginate and Chitosan Nanocomposites Designed as Active Film Packaging Materials Lavrič, Gregor Oberlintner, Ana Filipova, Inese Novak, Uroš Likozar, Blaž Vrabič-Brodnjak, Urška Polymers (Basel) Article The aim of the study was to characterize and compare films made of cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), nano-fibrils (CNF), and bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) in combination with chitosan and alginate in terms of applicability for potential food packaging applications. In total, 25 different formulations were made and evaluated, and seven biopolymer films with the best mechanical performance (tensile strength, strain)—alginate, alginate with 5% CNC, chitosan, chitosan with 3% CNC, BNC with and without glycerol, and CNF with glycerol—were selected and investigated regarding morphology (SEM), density, contact angle, surface energy, water absorption, and oxygen and water barrier properties. Studies revealed that polysaccharide-based films with added CNC are the most suitable for packaging purposes, and better dispersing of nanocellulose in chitosan than in alginate was observed. Results showed an increase in hydrophobicity (increase of contact angle and reduced moisture absorption) of chitosan and alginate films with the addition of CNC, and chitosan with 3% CNC had the highest contact angle, 108 ± 2, and 15% lower moisture absorption compared to pure chitosan. Overall, the ability of nanocellulose additives to preserve the structure and function of chitosan and alginate materials in a humid environment was convincingly demonstrated. Barrier properties were improved by combining the biopolymers, and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) was reduced by 15–45% and oxygen permeability (OTR) up to 45% by adding nanocellulose compared to single biopolymer formulations. It was concluded that with a good oxygen barrier, a water barrier that is comparable to PLA, and good mechanical properties, biopolymer films would be a good alternative to conventional plastic packaging used for ready-to-eat foods with short storage time. MDPI 2021-07-30 /pmc/articles/PMC8348297/ /pubmed/34372125 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/polym13152523 Text en © 2021 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Lavrič, Gregor
Oberlintner, Ana
Filipova, Inese
Novak, Uroš
Likozar, Blaž
Vrabič-Brodnjak, Urška
Functional Nanocellulose, Alginate and Chitosan Nanocomposites Designed as Active Film Packaging Materials
title Functional Nanocellulose, Alginate and Chitosan Nanocomposites Designed as Active Film Packaging Materials
title_full Functional Nanocellulose, Alginate and Chitosan Nanocomposites Designed as Active Film Packaging Materials
title_fullStr Functional Nanocellulose, Alginate and Chitosan Nanocomposites Designed as Active Film Packaging Materials
title_full_unstemmed Functional Nanocellulose, Alginate and Chitosan Nanocomposites Designed as Active Film Packaging Materials
title_short Functional Nanocellulose, Alginate and Chitosan Nanocomposites Designed as Active Film Packaging Materials
title_sort functional nanocellulose, alginate and chitosan nanocomposites designed as active film packaging materials
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8348297/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34372125
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/polym13152523
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