Antimicrobial agent-free hybrid cationic starch/sodium alginate polyelectrolyte films for food packaging materials

This study aimed to develop polyelectrolyte structured antimicrobial food packaging materials that do not contain any antimicrobial agents. Cationic starch was synthesized and characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy and ¹H NMR spectroscopy. Its nitrogen content was determined by Kjeldahl method. Polyelectrolyte structured antimicrobial food packaging materials were prepared using starch, cationic starch and sodium alginate. Antimicrobial activity of materials was defined by inhibition zone method (disc diffusion method). Thermal stability of samples was evaluated by TGA and DSC. Hydrophobicity of samples was determined by contact angle measurements. Surface morphology of samples was investigated by SEM. Moreover, gel contents of samples were determined. The obtained results prove that produced food packaging materials have good thermal, antimicrobial and surface properties, and they can be used as food packaging material in many industries.