Open AccessNANOCOMPOSITE OF PAPAYA PUREE AND CHITOSAN NANOPARTICLES FOR APPLICATION IN PACKAGING
Author(s) -
Marcos V. Lorevice,
Márcia R. de Moura,
Luiz H. C. Mattoso
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
química nova
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.214
H-Index - 73
eISSN - 1678-7064
pISSN - 0100-4042
DOI - 10.5935/0100-4042.20140174
Subject(s) - chitosan , food packaging , active packaging , nanocomposite , materials science , nanoparticle , nanomaterials , shelf life , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , food science , chemistry , organic chemistry , engineering
Nanocomposite materials have been incorporated into biopolymers, (e.g. hydroxypropyl methylcellulose), to improve their physical and chemical properties and enable them to be applied in food packaging, especially for their biodegradable and renewable properties. With this addition, fruit puree has been incorporated into the films to confer nutritional properties besides color and flavor. Chitosan is of interest in the packaging field since it is a biodegradable, bioabsorbable, antimicrobial agent. Furthermore, chitosan nanoparticles have been widely explored for their interesting properties and potential applications in food packaging. This work was divided into two stages: (1) chitosan nanoparticle synthesis; (2) addition of nanoparticles into HPMC and papaya puree films. Addition of chitosan nanoparticles to HPMC and papaya puree films improved film properties: mechanical, thermal and water vapor barrier. We have developed a novel nanomaterial with great potential for application in packaging to prolong the shelf life of food