Pack integrity is essential for the success of modified atmosphere packaging of food products. Colorimetric oxygen leak indicators or tags are simple and smart tools that can depict the presence or absence of oxygen within a package. However, not many bio-based electrospun materials were explored for this purpose. Ultraviolet light-activated kappa-carrageenan-based smart oxygen indicating tag was developed using the electrospinning technique in this study and its stability during storage was determined. Kappa-carrageenan was used with redox dye, sacrificial electron donor, photocatalyst, and solvent for preparing oxygen indicating electrospun tag. Parameters of electrospinning namely flow rate of the polymer solution, the distance between spinneret and collector, and voltage applied were optimized using Taguchi L9 orthogonal design. Rheological and microstructural studies revealed that the electrospinning solution was pseudoplastic and the mat fibers were compact and non-woven with an average fiber size of 1-2 microns. Oxygen sensitivity at different oxygen concentrations revealed that the tag was sensitive enough to detect as low as 0.4% oxygen. The developed tag was stable for at least 60 days when stored in dark at 25 °C and 65% RH. The developed mat could be highly useful in modified atmosphere packaging applications to check seal integrity in oxygen devoid packages.
Keywords: Taguchi; carrageenan; electrospun; intelligent packaging; oxygen indicator; stability.