Streamlining electrospun shellac coatings on paper for high moisture strength and barrier food packaging film:...

Coated paper with bio-based components has sparked attention as a food packaging alternative to plastic. This study focusses on development of environmentally friendly packaging solution by electrospraying shellac over paper's surface. The goal of the study is to reduce the time of fabrication, by optimising the process parameters, concentration; 20, 30, and 40%w/v, flow rate; 10, 20, and 30 ml/h, and coating time; 100, 200, and 300 s (Concentration (% w/v))/ Flow rate (ml/h)/ time (sec)), in order to get better GSM (grams per square meter), COBB (grams of water absorbed per square meter), KIT (oil resistance ability), and WVTR (water vapor transmission rate). The developed material shows tensile strength >20 MPa with a 90 % drop in water absorption. Furthermore, when exposed to 100 % relative humidity for 48 h, the sample absorbs only 7-9 % moisture and showing minimal reduction in tensile strength of 3-5 %, indicating superior moisture resistance compared to paper. Cherry tomato (CT) freshness was tested and found to be maintained for up to 28 days, which was comparable to polyethylene packaging with mass loss during storage of 7, 4, and 20 %, respectively. In 28 days, the developed films decomposed similarly to paper in soil (23.67 %) and water (5.44 %), with no significant change in quality of water.