Influence of gamma rays on the physico-chemical, release and antibacterial characteristics of low-density polyethylene composite films incorporating an essential oil for application in food-packaging
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Martina Hrabalikova; Petr Stloukal; Hassan A. Abd El-Rehim; Vladimír Sedlařík; Ahmed E. Swilem
- Source
- Food Packaging and Shelf Life. 19:131-139
- Subject
- 0106 biological sciences
Microbiology (medical)
Materials science
Polymers and Plastics
Composite number
01 natural sciences
Biomaterials
chemistry.chemical_compound
0404 agricultural biotechnology
010608 biotechnology
Irradiation
Safety, Risk, Reliability and Quality
chemistry.chemical_classification
Wood flour
04 agricultural and veterinary sciences
Polymer
respiratory system
Polyethylene
040401 food science
Controlled release
respiratory tract diseases
Low-density polyethylene
chemistry
Antibacterial activity
Food Science
Nuclear chemistry
- Language
- ISSN
- 2214-2894
We investigated the effect of gamma irradiation on the properties of low-density polyethylene composite films incorporated with the antimicrobial terpene 4-allylanisole (ALY), and the volatile release of ALY. For comparison, wood flour and molecular sieves were used as solid carriers for ALY at loading ratios of 20 and 30 wt.%. Infrared spectroscopy indicated that a proportion of ALY underwent structural change during melt-compounding and irradiation at high doses (> 10 kGy). Thermal and mechanical properties of composites prepared did not alter remarkably after irradiation. The release study of ALY showed that using wood flour and irradiation reduced the volatilization of ALY from the polymer matrix; however, the effect exerted by irradiation treatment was less noticeable than that of the carrier type. The antibacterial activity study demonstrated that irradiation only exerted a pronounced negative effect on samples that contained 30 wt.% of ALY/wood flour when irradiated at 30 and 50 kGy.