Fabrication and comperization Study the effect of molecular weight for chitosan blended with polyvinyl alcohol for food packaging application

Abstract

  This research concentrates on the fabrication and characterization of biodegradable food packaging composed of Chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), both possessing antioxidant and antibacterial activates. Simultaneously, the aim is to enhance the degradation of food packaging materials, safeguarding the environment against the hazards of pollution caused by food packaging waste, thereby safeguarding human health. The study explores the impact of different molecular weight biopolymers combined with synthetic polymers by incorporating various molecular weights of chitosan and polyvinyl alcohol PVA in different ratios (pure MMW-CS, LMW-Cs, PVA, 70:30, and 90:10). Films were created using the solvent casting method to fabricate and characterize biodegradable food packaging from these biopolymers, aiming to mitigate environmental pollution caused by food packaging waste and its adverse effects on human health. Various tests were conducted, and the comparison between MMW_CS and LMW_Cs revealed that the most effective combination was found to be (pure and 70 % MMW_CS). This combination exhibited superior antibacterial properties, enhanced biofilm formation, favorable contact angle, UV resistance, as well as improved results in AFM and DSC analyses. The chitosan content played a significant role in augmenting the antibacterial activity and reducing roughness in the AFM test. Moreover, chitosan-based films demonstrated exceptional UV absorbance, providing a protective shield against lipid oxidation induced by UV light, thereby preserving the quality of the packaged food