Nanocomposite films containing organoclay nanoparticles as an antimicrobial (active) packaging for potential food application

Abstract

Polyethylene nanocomposite films containing combinations of organoclay (OC) nanoparticles were prepared using extrusion molding method. The physical (X‐ray diffraction [XRD] and scanning electron microscopy [SEM]), mechanical (tensile strength [TS] and elongation at break [E]) and antibacterial properties of the films against gram positive and gram negative bacteria were evaluated. XRD results showed an increase in basal reflection and intercalated‐exfoliated structure prepared. SEM images revealed that Cloisite 20A had better compatibility with the polyethylene matrix in such way that it distributed homogenously in the matrix. Incorporating nanoparticles into polyethylene matrix significantly improved mechanical properties of the films in terms of TS and E parameters. Among used organoclays, Cloisite 30B, and Cloisite 15A had the most and the least antibacterial effect, respectively. A combination of three studied OCs revealed a more pronounced antibacterial effect than that of single or binary mode. Furthermore, its effect on gram negative Escherichia coli, was more pronounced than gram positive Staphylococcus aureus. Practical applications Nanocomposite films studied in this research provide bacteriostatic activities with improving mechanical properties. The main feature of this study was to use a mixture of nanoparticles for an enhanced antibacterial effect and, therefore, to reduce metallic nanoparticles' concentration in the obtained active films. Thus, such packaging material is suggested for potential use as an optimal choice for antimicrobial food packaging applications.

Development of Antibacterial Carboxymethyl Cellulose‐Based Nanobiocomposite Films Containing Various Metallic Nanoparticles for Food Packaging Applications

“…ZnO is used for its high antimicrobial properties against a wide range of microorganisms in everyday applications such as medicines, cosmetics, and medical equipment (Li, Xing, Jiang, Ding, & Li, ). Many studies have been done on the simultaneous use of nanoparticles in food packaging, which can be attributed to the synergistic effect of these nanoparticles (Fasihnia, Peighambardoust, & Peighambardoust, ). However, in some cases, they can have negative effects on each other.…”

The effect of different preparation methods on the development of chitosan/thyme oil/montmorillonite nanocomposite active packaging films

“…The second materials were two different nanoclays, NaMt and OrgMt (Fasihnia, Peighambardoust, & Peighambardoust, ; Peighambardoust, Beigmohammadi, & Peighambardoust, ). Several publications refer to the improvement of the CS mechanical behaviour via the incorporation of nanoclays into CS because of its mechanical properties (Giannakas, Grigoriadi, Leontiou, Barkoula, & Ladavos, ; Lavorgna, Piscitelli, Mangiacapra, & Buonocore, ), thermal stability (Darder & Ruiz‐hitzky, ; Giannakas et al, ; Katerinopoulou, Giannakas, Grigoriadi, Barkoula, & Ladavos, ; Wang et al, ), functional properties (Darder, Colilla, & Ruiz‐Hitzky, ), barrier properties (Giannakas et al, ; Rhim, Hong, Park, & Ng, ; Vicente, ; Vlacha et al, ), and water solubility (Vicente, ; Giannakas, Patsaoura, Barkoula, & Ladavos, ).…”

New perspectives in active and intelligent food packaging

“…Antimicrobial packaging is related to the improvement of food safety. This kind of packaging prolongs the delay of microbial growth or reduces the pace of growth and the final number of microorganisms (Fasihnia, Peighambardoust, & Peighambardoust, 2017).…”

“…Such solutions may be applied in the process of packing sensitive food products that are susceptible to bacteria or fungi. Antimicrobial active packaging was also developed with the use of polyethylene nanocomposite films containing combinations of organoclay nanoparticles(Fasihnia et al, 2017).This resulted in bacteriostatic activities combined with better physical and mechanical properties. The antimicrobial active packaging developed by the scientists was tested for possible applications.…”