Enhancement of the physical, mechanical and thermal properties of cactus mucilage films by blending with polyvinyl alcohol

Publication date: December 2019Source: Food Packaging and Shelf Life, Volume 22Author(s): Rim Gheribi, Mohamed Amine Gharbi, Monia El Ouni, Khaoula KhwaldiaAbstractNovel films were developed by blending cactus mucilage (CM) with polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) at four different ratios (90:10, 80:20, 70:30, and 60:40, CM: PVA). The developed composites were characterized for their structural, optical, physical, barrier, mechanical and thermal properties. Optimum CM/PVA blend was obtained at the ratio 80:20 giving an increase in tensile strength, elongation at break and water contact angle by 165%, 14% and 24%, respectively. Furthermore, CM/PVA composites showed good barrier properties against UV–vis light and enhanced thermal stability. The significant improvements observed for composites’ properties were related to the intermolecular interactions occurring between functional groups of CM and PVA. The formation of hydrogen bonds was confirmed by shifts in specific absorption bands in FTIR spectra and decrease in glass transition temperatures. The obtained films with the enhanced properties can find promising applications in the food packaging industry.
Source: Food Packaging and Shelf Life - Category: Food Science Source Type: research