Melt-Extruded Home Compostable Films Based On Blends Of Thermoplastic Gliadins And Poly(ε-Caprolactone) Intended For Food Packaging Applications

Biodegradable polymers for food applications have emerged as a sustainable alternative to reduce plastic waste. In this work, compostable films based on blends of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and thermoplastic gliadins (TPG) were developed for packaging applications. Firstly, gliadins were extracted f...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Aragón-Gutiérrez, Alejandro, Muñoz-Gimena, Pedro Francisco, Gallur, Miriam, Gavara, Rafael, López García, Daniel, Hernández-Muñoz, Pilar
Format: article
Status:Versión aceptada para publicación
Publication Date:2024
Country:España
Institution:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repository:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/348552
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/348552
https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/85182825946
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Compostability
Extrusion
Film properties
Poly(ε-caprolactone)
Polymer blends
Sustainable food packaging
Thermoplastic gliadins
Description
Summary:Biodegradable polymers for food applications have emerged as a sustainable alternative to reduce plastic waste. In this work, compostable films based on blends of poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and thermoplastic gliadins (TPG) were developed for packaging applications. Firstly, gliadins were extracted from wheat gluten and plasticized with glycerol. Then, PCL/TPG films were prepared by cast-extrusion processing at pilot scale and samples were characterized in terms of their structural, morphological, thermal, mechanical, barrier and optical properties. The addition of TPG increased the glass transition temperature (Tg) of PCL, reduced the oxygen permeability at 0% and 50% relative humidity values, and improved the seal strength properties of the films, having a minimal effect on the thermal stability, transparency, and the high stretchability characteristic of PCL. On the other hand, the presence of gliadins led to more water sensitive materials, resulting in a slight increase in the water vapor permeability. Finally, the home-compostability assessment of the films revealed that the presence of gliadins accelerated the aerobic biodegradation and the disintegration with respect to pristine PCL film, thus, showing the potential interest of the developed materials for sustainable packaging applications. Graphical Abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.]