Biopolymers and Bioplastics

Biography

Biography: Nabanita Saha

Abstract

Development of biopolymers based eco-friendly packaging materials is encouraged worldwide. Nowadays, fruits and vegetables packaging materials are commonly prepared from petroleum based synthetic polymer, where bio-plastics are more concerned for maintaining freshness as well as from environmental protection point of view. Further, to enhance the shelf life of food stuff, moisture sorption and isoteric heat of sorption property of biobased packaging material are equally important as of mechanical property, breathability and biodegradability. Hence, to accomplish and maintain such properties within packaging material, carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) based hydrogel designated as “PVP-CMC hydrogel” has been prepared. The said hydrogel possessed other adventitious properties like porous internal morphology conferring breathability, proper flexibility required for machinability in preparation of pouches in different shape, size and thickness, etc. Water activity (aw) is a measure of the energy status of the moisture content in a system and controls several properties of biopolymer based materials; high water activity leads to chemical and microbial instability. The equilibrium relationship between aw (ranging within 0.0-1.0) and the corresponding moisture content at any particular temperature is represented by moisture sorption isotherm (MSI) which is most important in design of drying, packaging and storage systems of food. Representation of sorption data with best fit model followed by evaluation of isosteric heat of sorption is used as a tool for achieving these designs and will be discussed during presentation besides other interesting properties of PVP-CMC hydrogel.