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Updated: Jun 6, 2025

Author Spotlight: An Antimicrobial Fabric Using Nano-Herbal Encapsulation of Essential Oils
Published on: April 7, 2023
Engineered environment-friendly multifunctional food packaging with superior nonleachability, polymer miscibility and
Xugang Dang1, Songyu Han2, Yongmei Du2
1Institute of Biomass and Function Materials & National Demonstration Centre for Experimental Light Chemistry Engineering Education, College of Bioresources Chemistry and Materials Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an 710021, PR China; State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan 610041, PR China.
Abstract:
This study was conducted primarily to develop an environment-friendly food packaging boasting several advantages, including good water vapor barrier, UV resistance, antimicrobial activity, non-leachability, and polymer miscibility. Initially, the starch-based antimicrobial agent (OCSI) was synthesized through a simple esterification reaction between oxidized corn starch (OCS) and indoleacetic acid (IAA). Subsequently, OCSI was further blended separately with environmentally-friendly materials (PVA, PBAT, PCL), and a series of environment-friendly packaging films were successfully prepared. The resulting films exhibited desirable thermal stability and 100 % barrier against both UV-A and UV-B rays. Moreover, the films presented effective barriers against water vapor, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activity against E. coli and S. aureus. Meanwhile, the films could significantly inhibit the deterioration of fresh fruits and prolong shelf life, considerably expanding their utilization in safe packaging. The environment-friendly packaging not only realized the sustainable utilization of green polymers, but also offered novel insights into the exploration of sustainable packaging.

