Recyclable bactericidal packaging films for emperor banana preservation

Abstract

Food safety issues and food waste have always been hot topics of concern. This study aimed to develop a recyclable bactericidal packaging film that combines polylactic acid (PLA), graphitic carbon nitride (CN) and carbon nanotubes (CNT) to extend food shelf life. This film exhibited compactness and thermostability, as observed by scanning electron microscope and differential scanning calorimeter. The temperature of P/CN/CNT film could still reach 54 ± 4 °C after being used for 3 times. The film still has bactericidal activity on the 5th cycle use except for L. monocytogenes revealed by morphological characterization on bacteria. This film effectively extended the shelf life of banana to 7 days, as confirmed by measurements of hardness, pH value and total bacterial count of banana. This study provides a packaging film with recyclable bactericidal ability.

Keywords: Bactericidal films; Food packaging; Fruit preservation; Photocatalysis.