Improving the capacity of polypropylene to be used in antioxidant active films: incorporation of plasticizer and natural antioxidants.
Two types of active antioxidant food packages with improved release properties, based on polypropylene (PP) as one of the most common polymers used in food-packaging applications, were developed. Incorporation of catechin and green tea as antioxidant provided PP with 6 times higher stabilization against thermal oxidation. Release of natural antioxidants (catechins, gallic acid, caffeine, and quercetin) into various food simulants from that nonpolar matrix were improved by blending poly(propylene glycol)-block-poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(propylene glycol) (PPG-PEG-PPG) as plasticizer into the polymer formulation. Increasing release levels between 10- and 40-fold into simulant A and between 6 and 20-fold into simulant D1 resulted from the incorporation of catechin and green tea as antioxidants and PPG-PEG-PPG as plasticizer into the film formulation. The efficiency of the antioxidants in the food simulants after the release process was also corroborated through antioxidant activity tests. Therefore, the developed PPG-PEG-PPG-modified polypropylene resulted in a potential system to be used in active packaging.
Grupo de Polı́meros-Centro de Investigacións Tecnolóxicas (CIT), Universidade de A Coruña, Campus de Esteiro s/n, 15403 Ferrol, Spain.
María del Mar
Mdel M
Castro López
Carol
C
López de Dicastillo
José Manuel
JM
López Vilariño
María Victoria
MV
González Rodríguez
D000975:Antioxidants / Q000032:analysis; D002110:Caffeine; D028241:Camellia sinensis / Q000737:chemistry; D002392:Catechin; D005419:Flavonoids; D018857:Food Packaging / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D005707:Gallic Acid; D010968:Plasticizers; D011126:Polypropylenes; D011794:Quercetin; D013662:Tea / Q000737:chemistry
D000975:Antioxidants; D005419:Flavonoids; D010968:Plasticizers; D011126:Polypropylenes; D013662:Tea; D002110:Caffeine; D005707:Gallic Acid; D002392:Catechin; D011794:Quercetin