Biodegradable Poly(Lactic acid) Based Food Packaging Incorporated with Antioxidant from Extract of Several Plants

Abstract

The demand for smart biodegradable food packaging is increasing due to its capability to preserve food product and maintain food stability. Natural antioxidant food packaging based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA) can be synthesized by addition of certain extract of plant into the polymer matrix. In this study, we develop PLA-based antioxidant food packaging modified with extract of turmeric, mangosteen skin and soursop leaves. The as-obtained film were characterized by several thermal and mechanical assessment, antioxidant assay and applied for packaging of orange fruit. The results showed that the PLA based food packaging incorporated with extract of turmeric, mangosteen skin and soursop leaves have antioxidant activity with IC50 of 0.83-2.11 %, 0.24-0.30 %, 1.89-4.33 %, respectively. The peaks from FTIR spectra indicated integration of the antioxidant aromatic compound into the polymer matrix. The tensile strength and percentage of elongation of these films were in the range of 12.5-27.83 MPa and 4.00-11.67 %, respectively. DSC curves and XRD diffractogram of these films revealed that these films were semicrystalline. These films have been proved to be an antioxidant food packaging which retarded the rate of decay of orange fruit.