Essential oils as additives in biodegradable films and coatings

Essential oils represent an interesting ingredient for biodegradable food packaging, mainly due to their natural origin and their functional (antioxidant/antimicrobial) properties. However, their inclusion may have some impact on several properties.
Researchers at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia in Spain found that essential oil incorporation affects the continuity of the polymer matrix, leading to physical changes depending on the specific polymer-oil components interactions. Generally, the film structure is weakened, whereas the water barrier properties are improved and the transparency is reduced. An article about the research is published in Trends in Food Science & Technology.
Click here for an abstract of the article.

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