Applications of Environment & Health Friendly PLA-Composite Film for Active and Smart Food Packaging

Abstract

In the recent era production and use of bioplastics is one of the major environmental and human health concern. The conventional petroleum based potentially harmful plastic have negative effects on environment as well as on human health that includes direct toxicity and endocrine disruption, which can further leads to cancer, birth defects, immune system suppression and developmental problems in children, etc. Thus, cost-effective production of biodegradable, environment and health friendly plastic is one of the today’s burning need. With advancement of technologies, the scientific challenge has overcome by creating new products with an eco-sustainable and completely natural material with active and smart food packaging quality. Biodegradable Polylactic acid (PLA) polymer with its excellent physicochemical properties and mouldability, is having efficiency to replace hazardous synthetic polymers made from petrochemicals. PLA and their combination with different inexpensive fillers (such as rice straw and agricultural wastes) are synthesized and used frequently these days. PLA-composites are majorly utilized for bio-degradable plastic synthesis as it improves food safety, food stability and are eco-friendly. PLA-nanocomposite based active packaging film with antimicrobial properties, food spoilage indicator, more flexibility and less stiffness, lower O2 and CO2 permeability and higher UV absorption rates than PLA film are having potential to be utilized for extending the shelf-life of various perishable food products with enhanced barrier, mechanical and heat-resistant properties, along with biodegradability. These PLA-composites films could reduce costs and the studied formulations offer approaches to realize composites with high performances and antimicrobial response, suitable for active & smart food packaging materials, by using inexpensive wastes.

Keywords: Active and Smart Food Packaging, Polylactic Acid, Biodegradable Plastic, PLA-Composites Films