Antibacterial and Antioxidant Performance of Thermoplastic Starch/Polyethylene Active Film Packaging through the Incorporation of Aloe Vera Gel

Abstract

The thermoplastic starch-polyethylene (TPS/PE) film was introduced many years ago as biodegradable packaging. However, the lack of intrinsic antibacterial and antioxidant capabilities is an issue since these properties are essential for preventing foodborne pathogens and oxidation. In this paper, aloe vera (AV) gel was utilized as an active component to enhance the functionality of TPS/PE film. This paper aimed to investigate the antibacterial and antioxidant properties of TPS/PE film upon adding AV gel. Four different samples (TPS, TPS/AV, TPS/PE, and TPS/PE/AV) were prepared via melt-blending and hot-pressing techniques focusing on visual appearance, functional group, transparency, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties. A melt-mixer was used to prepare the resin, which was then hot-pressed to form a film. The TPS appeared colourless, but after the addition of AV gel, the film turned yellowish caused by crosslinking in the polymer matrix between TPS and AV gel. The TPS/PE/AV film was the most transparent, while the TPS film was the opaquest. The growth of gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) was inhibited with a 1 mm inhibition zone around the films that contained AV gel. After adding AV gel, the TPS/PE film demonstrated 2.2 % DPPH scavenging activity in a 95 % ethanolic solution. In summary, this paper demonstrated that adding AV gel improved the TPS/PE functionality, enabling it to be utilized as an active biodegradable food packaging film.