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

Abstract

The globally increasing needs for food quantity and quality led industries to invest in packaging methods that enhance the shelf life and quality of foods. Also, the effort to avoid the use of petrochemical or chemical derivatives in the production‐chain increased the exploitation of by‐products and biomass. In this work, the raw materials such as montmorillonite (Mt), the chitosan (CS) which is a sea‐food byproduct, and the natural essential oil extract thyme oil (TO) were combined via two different methods for the development of an advanced nanocomposite active packaging film for foods. In the first method, the so‐called “Solution‐Blending” (SB), a CS/TO solution was blended with sodium–montmorillonite (NaMt) or organomodified‐montmorillonite (OrgMt). In the second method, the so‐called “ModifiedClay” (MC), the TO was adsorbed into NaMt or OrgMt and the produced hybrid was added to CS. The tests indicated that nanocomposite films which were prepared via the MC method are promising materials for active packaging films. Practical applications Nowadays, a lot of effort is spent on finding advanced food conservation methods which extend shelf time, increase quality, and vanish the food odor problems. This study shows that films which are prepared via the modified clay method exhibit high antioxidant behavior and high antimicrobial activity against Escherichia coli. Also, tests on under‐vacuum packaged chicken breast fillets exhibit low lipid oxidation values. Thus, these films/pads are promising for active packaging applications of meat and other food products.

Effect of Lemon Waste Natural Dye and Essential Oil Loaded into Laminar Nanoclays on Thermomechanical and Color Properties of Polyester Based Bionanocomposites

“…Giannakas et al [24] used a "ModifiedClay (MC)" method to adsorb thymol EO into MMT to obtain hybrid EO systems for the preparation of nanocomposite films with improved tensile strength, water swelling and barrier properties to be used as active food packaging materials. Similar results were found by other authors when different EOs were incorporated into MMT [41][42][43].…”

“…The high volatility of EOs is their main drawback in several applications that require temperature processing, such as in the case of polymer nanocomposites, leading to EO losses by evaporation during polymer processing [23]. The encapsulation of EOs into nanoclays has been proved to be suitable for protecting and preserving the effectiveness of the EO bioactive substances in storage, providing a controlled release of EOs into the polymer matrix [24]. The preparation of MMT-essential oil powders with oregano, thyme and basil oils was reported showing a significant modification in the basal space of MMT clay and increased EO thermal stability with the EO adsorption [17,25].…”

Na-Montmorillonite Vs. Organically Modified Montmorillonite as Essential Oil Nanocarriers for Melt-Extruded Low-Density Poly-Ethylene Nanocomposite Active Packaging Films with a Controllable and Long-Life Antioxidant Activity

“…It was proposed that adsorption of EO onto an inorganic porous material [ 8 , 9 ] could provide controlled release and protection against polymer processing conditions. In this direction, EO nanocarriers, such as commercial organically modified montmorillonite (OrgMt) [ 10 ] and halloysite [ 11 , 12 ], used in polymers-based [ 6 , 13 , 14 , 15 ] and biopolymers-based [ 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ] active packaging films. Shemesh et al [ 11 ] adsorbed carvacrol into halloysite nanotubes and developed low-density poly-ethylene (LDPE)/carvacrol/halloysite antimicrobial films.…”

Understanding the Barrier and Mechanical Behavior of Different Nanofillers in Chitosan Films for Food Packaging

“…Therefore, the strong polar chemical bonds chitosan–chitosan will be replaced by weaker interactions between chitosan–GEO. Giannakas et al (2020) [ 76 ] observed similar results when introduced thyme oil in two different chitosan/MMT structures. As expected, they noted that the introduction of nanoclays, MMTNa + and OrgMMT, improved mechanical behavior.…”