During the last decades, a lot of research work focused on several biodegradable and biosourced polyesters for the purpose of reducing the non-degradable polymer wastes. These polyesters are particularly considered to be promising polymers for biomedical applications and short lifetime products like packaging. As these packagings are rapidly discarded, especially the food ones, their accumulation becomes a serious environmental problem. In order to replace these materials with new ones that do not harm the environment, several studies are being carried out about these materials. However, it presents some limitations as its thermal instability in the molten state and high cost of production, being the incorporation of clay to the polymer matrix, forming bionanocomposites, a viable alternative since it improves the mechanical and thermal properties of the material when compared to the pure polymer, and may or may not reduce the total cost of production. Among commercially-available polyesters, polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs) are produced by various bacteria and known to be fully biodegradable. The aim of this study was to develop and to characterize bionanocomposites produced from the polymer matrix of poly (3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate)-PHBV and natural vermiculite and organoclay. The melt intercalation technique was used for obtaining systems in the form of films. The FTIR results unveiled changes in the bionanocomposites structure with the addition of the clay, verifying the incorporation and overlap of bands of both the natural clay and the quaternary ammonium salt. Through the XRD technique, it was observed a greater disorganization in the systems compared to the pure polymer, suggesting a structure of a microcomposite for the systems with natural clay and tending to a greater exfoliation for the systems with organoclay vermiculite. From the micrographs by MO and MEV, the films presented a small number of clusters for the natural systems and a more uniform structure for the organophilic systems, thus corroborating with the XRD. In this way, it was evidenced that the systems with organoclay were the ones that presented better against the characteristics desired for its possible industrial application. Thus, elaborated bionanocomposites may be an alternative to the substitution of synthetic polymers in the industry, for example, in food packaging.

The aim of this study was to develop poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate‐co‐3‐hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV) bionanocomposites with natural vermiculite (VMT) and modified vermiculite (VMTO), by the melt intercalation technique and to evaluate the thermal behavior, biodegradation, and food–packaging interactions through X‐ray diffraction (XRD). Through XRD, we observed the structure of a microcomposite for the systems with natural clay and possibly an exfoliated structure for the systems with VMTO. We observed from the thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry results that the natural systems showed a small increase in the thermal stability, whereas the organoclay systems had a lower thermal stability. A high biodegradability in the pure polymer and the natural bionanocomposites was evidenced by the Sturm test through the carbon dioxide production and high weight loss of the material. We observed that there was no significant migration of PHBV from the bionanocomposites to the simulants. Under these circumstances, the bionanocomposites with VMT presented better thermal stability and a high biodegradability and were possibly inert when in contact with food. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2017, 134, 44700.

The production of plastic waste has caused serious environmental impacts. Since the conventional polymers represent one of the largest percentages of waste, a possible solution for this environmental problem is the use of nanoclaybiopolymers for the preparation of food packaging. The objective of this study was to evaluate the morphological structure of poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) bionanocomposites and vermiculite through scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) and to verify their packaging/food interaction through the total migration test. The systems were prepared with natural clay and organophilic clay by melt intercalation technique. The migration test was carried out according to the Resolution 105/99 by ANVISA. The SEM micrographs showed a small number of agglomerates for the natural systems and a more uniform structure for the organophilic systems. The migration results of all systems were within the maximum allowable limit for food packages, indicating a possible use of these materials without causing damage to food security.

RESUMO A produção de geleia a partir da polpa de buriti é uma alternativa de aproveitamento desses frutos. Desta forma, objetivou-se com esta pesquisa elaborar geleia de polpa de buriti convencional, light e diet e avaliar as características físico-químicas, microbiológicas e sensoriais, no armazenamento por 90 dias, em temperatura ambiente (25ºC). Os frutos do buriti in natura foram coletados na comunidade Brejinho no município de Caxias, Maranhão. Palavras-chaves: Mauritia flexuosa L., geleia de baixo valor calórico, edulcorantes.

A procura por alimentos que não possuem matérias-primas de origem animal em sua formulação está em constante crescimento. A razão disto é o número de pessoas que se autodenominam vegetarianas ou veganas, que possuem problemas de saúde ou que optam por dietas restritivas por diversas razões. Problemas relacionados ao consumo de leite, como alergia à proteína e a intolerância à lactose acometem grande parte da população, sendo necessário desenvolver produtos que atendam à necessidade desses consumidores. Com vista na elaboração de produtos análogos ao leite de vaca, diversos estudos estão sendo realizados sobre extratos vegetais. Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a expectativa do consumidor sobre a produção de sorvete vegano à base de extrato hidrossolúvel da amêndoa da castanha de caju, a fim de comprovar sua aceitação para uma possível viabilidade de produção. A análise de expectativa de consumo foi realizada por meio de formulário eletrônico com questionário estruturado apresentando duas formulações aos participantes, com diferentes concentrações do extrato solúvel em água, com a amostra A utilizando extrato na proporção de 1:3 e a amostra B a proporção de 1:5. Foi possível obter resultados favoráveis, com índice de aceitação da amostra A de 91,90 % e da amostra B de 76,20 %. Dessa forma, a aceitabilidade visual do sorvete produzido com extrato de amêndoa de castanha de caju evidencia seu potencial na substituição de derivados lácteos, conferindo uma alternativa para pessoas que necessitam ou querem abdicar do leite de origem animal, seja por motivos de saúde ou por opção.