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Pumpkin seed oil cake/polyethylene film as new food packaging material, with perspective for packing under modified atmosphere

In this paper, biopolymer layer obtained from by?product of oil industry (pumpkin seed oil cake) was laminated on polyethylene. New packaging material combined water barrier properties of polyethylene (7–8 g/m2 24h) and oxygen barrier properties of biopolymer composite material (12–45 cm3/m2 24h) and performed satisfactory mechanical properties with tensile strength and elongation at break values 2–8 MPa and 100–250%. Packing in modified atmosphere assay showed that new material can be used for this purpose with good control of oxygen concentration.Biopolymer packaging materials show increasing perspective in food packaging. Main limitation remains their high water sensitivity and poor water vapour barrier properties, compared to non polar materials of synthetic origin like polyethylene. In this paper, biopolymer layer obtained from by?product of oil industry (pumpkin seed oil cake) was laminated on polyethylene in order to obtain new packaging material that would preferably combine water barrier properties of polyethylene and oxygen barrier properties of biopolymer composite material and perform satisfactory mechanical properties. Obtained two?layer material showed good barrier properties for water vapour (7–8 g/m2 24h), as well as oxygen (12–45 cm3/m2 24h) and light. In addition, mechanical and water sensitivity tests were performed and results showed that new material inherited biopolymer film water sensitivity and mechanical properties with slight improvement. Measured tensile strength and elongation at break was 2–4 MPa and 150–250% in transversal direction and 6–8 MPa and 100–150% in longitudinal direction. Packing in modified atmosphere assay showed that new material can be used for this purpose with good control of oxygen concentration, while packing under increased concentration of CO2 could be performed for shorter storage period. New two layer material shows promising properties for sensitive food packing under modified atmosphere conditions with reduced use of synthetic, oil?based materials.

Publication date: 17/09/2020

Author: Senka Popovi?, Nevena Hromiš, Danijela Šuput, Sandra Bulut, Svetlana Vitas, Marina Savi?, Vera Lazi?

Reference: doi:10.1002/pts.2537

Packaging Technology and Science



      

This project has received funding from the Bio Based Industries Joint Undertaking under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 837761.