Characterization of multi-functional, biodegradable sodium metabisulfite-incorporated films based on polycarprolactone for active food packaging applications

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fpsl.2020.100512Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Multifunctional biodegradable films were prepared using SM and PCL.

  • Moisture and high temperature activated the O2 scavenging reaction of SM/PCL films.

  • SM/PCL films exhibited significant antioxidant and anti-browning properties.

  • SM/PCL films showed antimicrobial and antifungal activities.

  • SM/PCL films show promise as active food packaging to prolong shelf life of food.

Abstract

Consumer demand warrants improved efficacy and environmental impact of food packaging modalities. Here, multifunctional biodegradable films were prepared using 10, 20, and 40 wt% sodium metabisulfite (SM) as an active compound along with polycaprolactone (PCL). Increased SM content significantly affected film oxygen scavenging, antioxidant, anti-browning, and antimicrobial properties (p < 0.05). The %inhibition of ABTS and DPPH radicals increased from 75.8 % and 7.4% to 99.9% and 25.3 %, respectively, with the SM concentration increasing from 10 to 40 wt%. Additionally, SM/PCL films decreased the browning index from 35.52 to 19.70. SM/PCL films were effective against both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and inhibited fungal growth. Our findings further suggest that SM/PCL films significantly reduce the amount of packaged oxygen under the conditions expected in foods (e.g., high humidity and temperature). Thus, SM/PCL films exhibit good potential for the development of active food packaging to prolong food product shelf life.

Introduction

Traditional food packages are passive barriers designed to delay the adverse effects of the environment on food products; however, active packaging allows packages to interact with food and the environment and play a dynamic role in food preservation (Jeong, Kim, & Seo, 2014). The primary purpose of food packaging is to protect the food against attack from oxygen, water vapor, ultraviolet light, and both chemical and microbiological contamination (Prasad & Kochhar, 2014). Among such modes of quality deterioration, oxidative reactions and microbial spoilage have the greatest impact on reducing the shelf life of perishable foods (Jeong, Kim, & Seo, 2015). To address this issue, various functional packaging technologies such as oxygen scavenging (Johnson, Inchingolo, & Decker, 2018), antioxidant (Wrona, Nerin, Alfonso, & Caballero, 2017), anti-browning (Muratore et al., 2015), and antimicrobial packaging (Al-Naamani, Dobretsov, & Dutta, 2016; Wang, Lim, Tong, & Thian, 2019) have been evaluated.

Although these various functions are simultaneously required to maintain and protect the quality of food, current packaging performance is restricted as the associated technologies require separate costs, processes, and equipment. Therefore, the development of multifunctional packaging materials is needed. In particular, as an alternative to sachets containing the appropriate active materials for a given function, incorporation of the active compound(s) into the packaging structure itself constitutes a convenient means by which various functionalities can be achieved (Suppakul, Miltz, Sonneveld, & Bigger, 2003). For example, such supplementation of polymer matrices can provide performance improvement of food packaging material in addition to novel functions (Noronha, Carvalho, Lino, & Barreto, 2014). This can not only minimize negative consumer responses and offer a potential economic advantage through increased output but also eliminates the risk of accidental sachet rupture and inadvertent consumption of their contents (Suppakul et al., 2003). Nevertheless, the use of synthetic active compounds in food packaging has been questioned owing to their possible toxic effects and many consumers accordingly do not prefer such packaging components (Noronha et al., 2014).

Sodium metabisulfite (SM) shows promise as a candidate ingredient for multifunctional food packaging material because of its functionalities and safety. As a food additive, SM is widely used by the food industry with a variety of commercial applications in food and beverages and has been generally regarded as safe by the Food and Drug Administration since 1959 (Guido, 2016). SM in food offers various benefits such as oxygen scavenging (Lee, Jeong, Lee, Cho, & Yoo, 2018), antioxidant (Garcia-Fuentes, Wirts, Vos, & Verhagen, 2015), anti-browning (Erbas, Sekerci, Arslan, & Durak, 2012), antimicrobial (Kolaei, Tweddell, & Avis, 2012), and antiseptic effects (Noorafshan, Asadi-Golshan, Monjezi, & Karbalay-Doust, 2014).

Over the last several decades, the environmental impact of persistent synthetic plastic as waste has also raised general global concerns (Meena et al., 2017). To circumvent the problems of growing plastic production, waste, and associated pollution, research has focused on the development of alternative biodegradable or compostable bio-packaging materials derived from renewable sources (Muller, Gonzalez-Martinez, & Chriralt, 2017). For example, films based on polycaprolactone (PCL), a biodegradable polymer that can be used in food packaging applications with very good mechanical properties (Cesur, Koroglu, & Yalcin, 2018), was proposed as an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional food packaging materials (Muller et al., 2017). Notably, this material is already used in the food packaging and biomedical fields (Gutierrez & Alvarez, 2017). Based on these considerations, in this `study we aimed to develop a multifunctional active packaging material incorporating SM as an active compound and PCL as a biodegradable polymer matrix.

Section snippets

Materials

SM (Na2O5S2, MW: 190.11 g/mol, Assay: ≥ 99 %, CAS No: 7681-57-4) was purchased in powder form from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA). PCL (C6H10O2)n, Mn: 80,000, d: 1.145 g/mL at 25 °C) was purchased in pellet form (approximately 3 mm) from Sigma-Aldrich.

Thermogravimetric analysis

The thermal stability of the SM was tested using the TGA1 thermogravimetric analyzer (Mettler Toledo, Columbus, OH, USA) at a heating rate of 20 °C/min under a nitrogen atmosphere.

Particle size analysis

The particle sizes of SM, obtained using an LS 13 320 laser

SM thermal stability and particle size distribution

Del Nobile et al. (2009) found that the processing temperatures play a major role in determining the efficiency of the investigated active films. The choices of active materials are often limited owing to their low thermal stability and volatility during extrusion or injection molding or incompatibility of the component with the matrix polymer materials (Del Nobile et al., 2009; Jeong et al., 2015). To investigate the thermal stability of SM, thermogravimetric analysis was performed. SM showed

Conclusions

In this study, we prepared SM/PCL films by using an extrusion technique to address the prevailing consumer concerns regarding the safety of packaged food products and environmental issues. SM/PCL films demonstrated significant oxygen scavenging capabilities under high humidity and temperature storage conditions. SM/PCL films also possessed antioxidant activities as shown by DPPH and ABTS free radical scavenging tests. The use of SM/PCL films significantly reduced the browning reactions of

Declarations of interest

None.

Author contributions

Category 1

Conception and design of study: S.R. Yoo, S.Y. Jeong, H.G. Lee, C.H. Cho.

Acquisition of data: S.Y. Jeong, H.G. Lee, C.H. Cho.

Analysis and/or interpretation of data: S.R. Yoo, S.Y. Jeong.

Category 2

Drafting the manuscript: S.R. Yoo, S.Y. Jeong, H.G. Lee, C.H. Cho.

revising the manuscript critically for important intellectual content: S.R. Yoo, S.Y. Jeong.

Category 3

Approval of the version of the manuscript to be published (the names of all authors must be listed): S.R. Yoo, S.Y. Jeong,

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by grants from the World Institute of Kimchi (KE1901-4 & KE2002-2-1), funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT, Republic of Korea.

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