Food packaging bags based on thermoplastic corn starch reinforced with talc nanoparticles

By Olivia V. López, L. Castillo, M. Alejandra García, M. Villar, Silvia E. Barbosa. 2015

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abstract Packaging bags from thermo-compressed films of thermoplastic corn starch containing talc nano-particles (0, 1, 3 and 5% w/w) were developed. Mechanical properties of films were studied by twodifferent techniques (tensile tests and quasi-static assays) revealing starch films reinforcement by talcaddition. Strength improvement of thermoplastic starch films with talc concentration higher than 3%w/w was reflected in an increase in both Young’s modulus and yield stress. Talc particles modified failuremode of thermo-seal of thermoplastic starch films giving another bags opening possibility. Usually, bagsbased on starch films could be only opened by tearing while those of starch-talc bionanocompositescould be torn or peeled off. Finally, in order to evaluate packaging bags tightness, films barrier propertieswere determined. Water vapor and oxygen permeability were reduced 54 and 26%, respectively, by talcaddition (3% w/w) to thermoplastic starch. 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. IntroductionNowadays food products market is in ongoing growth in orderto supply world population’s requirements. Moreover, foodbecoming safer, nutritious, and prolonged shelf life as well ashaving high quality are sued (Sorrentino, Gorrasi, & Vittoria, 2007).Thus, many efforts are focused on developing specific packages,being countless the technological progresses in this field. Packagesshould have tailored properties such as mechanical, optical, andbarrier ones to assure integral product quality. Materials must betoughandflexibleenoughtoguarantee their manipulationwithoutany food product damage. In addition, other relevant issue ispackage tightness related to barrier properties since food organo-leptic and microbial qualities depend on package’s effectiveness tocontrol gases exchange. Specific barrier requirement of a packagesystem depends on food characteristics and intended end-use ap-plications (Siracusa, 2012). Water vapor and oxygen are two of themain gases studied as permeants in packaging applications; theydiffuse through the film modifying product quality and shelf-life.Water vapor barrier property of film packaging is important forproducts whose physical and chemical deteriorations are related toequilibrium moisture content (Siracusa, 2012). Concerning to oxy-gen impermeability, it is relevant since this gas promotes a lot offood degradation mechanisms, such as corrosive phenomena, oxi-dations, and organoleptic properties modifications (Russo, Simon,& Incarnato, 2006).On the other hand, films thermo-sealable capacity and a goodquality seal are indispensable requisites to develop food bags inorder to assure package integrity (Chillo et al., 2008; Lopez, Lecot,Zaritzky, & Garcia, 2011). Bags seal quality depends on thermo-sealing conditions such as temperature, time, and pressure. Heat-sealing process consists in attaching the sides of two thermo-plastic films, pressing them using a heat jaw. Thus, the bondedsurface is heated up to the appropriate temperature and then it iscooled down to complete the seal (Hishinuma, 2009 , p. 251). Bagsseal should assure package integrity preventing microorganisms’entrance and avoiding product loss (Robertson, 2013 , p. 704).Otherrelevantpackagingissueformarketcompetitionisrelatedto its opening easiness, becoming gradually in an additional func-tion. Opening packages without additional tools is the ideal way,

Subfields: Biomaterials, Polymers and Plastics

View Paper: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/741df348a75bbebf5f1df4092698f9dd56c122bd

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