The aim of the present study was to produce a blend of bacterial cellulose (BC) and poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) from the combination of pure BC membranes and 30% PHB in acetic acid. Clove essential oil (CLO) was then added as an antimicrobial agent. BC membranes were produced from Gluconacetobacter hansenii in a modified Hestrin–Schramm medium containing corn steep liquor. The scanning electron microscopic analyses revealed a visible white lining on the BC surface due to the deposition of PHB. Other analyses such as oil permeability, flexibility, and water solubility, which showed no trace of oil permeation through the films, resistance to folding (more than 100 times), and hydrophobicity, respectively, demonstrated the improvement of the material due to the blend of the polymers. When compared with the pure PHB polymer membrane, the addition of the essential oil led to a substantial reduction of 65% in microbial growth and better mechanical and thermal properties, since the traction resistance value increased by 3.9 times while the maximum degradation rate was 10°C higher. The new material, composed of BC/PHB with the addition of CLO, has attractive properties for use as a biocompatible, biodegradable, active food packaging wrap.

Polycaprolactone (PCL) to which has been added zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) produces nanocomposites (PCL/ZnO NCs). These nanocomposites can be used in biomedical applications and in the food packaging sector. However, for these materials to be used in these applications, they need to be sterilized. For this, gamma irradiation is the most common method. Thus it is important to evaluate the effects of gamma irradiation on the properties of PCL and PCL/ZnO that have been exposed to gamma irradiation. PCL/ZnO NCs films were obtained by solvent casting and exposed to gamma irradiation at 25 kGy and evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectra (FT-IR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mechanical properties. Mechanical properties and crystallinity showed marginal variations for the irradiated samples. The results obtained demonstrate that gamma irradiation at 25 kGy, did not cause profound changes in nanocomposite properties.