Due to the growing demand for robust and environmentally friendly antimicrobial packaging materials, biopolymers have recently become extensively investigated. Although biodegradable biopolymers usually lack mechanical properties, which makes it inevitable to blend them with plasticizers. The purpose of this study was to investigate plasticization efficiency of bio-based plasticizers introduced into sodium alginate compositions containing chestnut extract and their effect on selected film properties, including primarily mechanical and antibacterial properties. The films were prepared by the casting method and sodium alginate was cross-linked with calcium chloride. Six different plasticizers, including three commercially available ones (glycerol, epoxidized soybean oil and palm oil) and three synthesized plasticizers that are mixtures of bio-based plasticizers, were used to compare their influence on the film properties. Interactions between the polymer matrix and the plasticizers were investigated using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The morphological characteristics of the films were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. Thermal properties, tensile strength, elongation at break, hydrophilic, and barrier properties of the obtained films were also determined. To confirm the obtaining of active films through the use of chestnut extract and to study the effect of the proposed plasticizers on the antibacterial activity of the extract, the obtained films were tested against bacteria cultures. The final results showed that all of the obtained films exhibit a hydrophilic character and high barrier effect to oxygen, carbon dioxide and water vapor. In addition, sodium alginate films prepared with chestnut extract and the plasticizer proposed by us, showed better mechanical and antimicrobial properties than the films obtained with chestnut extract and the commercially available plasticizers.

One of the major objectives of food industry is to develop low-cost biodegradable food packaging films with optimal physicochemical properties, allowing for their large-scale production and providing a variety of applications. To meet the expectations of food industry, we have fabricated a series of solution-cast films based on common biodegradable polysaccharides (starch, chitosan and alginate) to be used in food packaging applications. Selected biopolymers were modified by the addition of glycerol and oxidized sucrose (starch), glycerol (chitosan), and glycerol and calcium chloride (alginate), as well as being used to form blends (starch/chitosan and starch/alginate, respectively). A chestnut extract was used to provide antibacterial properties to the preformed materials. The results of our studies showed that each modification reduced the hydrophilic nature of the polymers, making them more suitable for food packaging applications. In addition, all films exhibited much higher barrier properties to oxygen and carbon dioxide than commercially available films, such as polylactic acid, as well as exhibiting antimicrobial properties against model Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria (Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus epidermidis, respectively), as well as yeast (Candida albicans).

The plasticizers used in this study were synthesized from renewable raw materials using succinic acid, oleic acid, and propylene glycol. Four environmentally friendly plasticizer samples were obtained; their chemical structures and compositions were confirmed by gas chromatography (GC) and infrared spectroscopy (FT–IR) analyses, and their physicochemical properties and thermal stability (TGA analysis) were investigated. The obtained ester mixtures were used as poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC) plasticizers and their plasticization efficiency was determined in comparison to traditional, commercially available phthalate plasticizers, such as DEHP (di(2-ethylhexyl phthalate) and DINP (diisononyl phthalate). Mechanical properties and migration resistance were determined for soft PVC with the use of three concentrations of plasticizers (40 PHR, 50 PHR, and 60 PHR). It was observed that the obtained plasticizers exhibited the same plasticization efficiency and were characterized with good mechanical and physical properties in comparison to commercial plasticizers. The tensile strength was approx. 19 MPa, while the elongation at break was approx. 250% for all tested plasticizers at a concentration of 50 PHR. Furthermore, plasticizer migration studies showed that the synthesized plasticizers had excellent resistance to plasticizer leaching. The best migration test result obtained was 70% lower than that for DEHP or DINP. The ester mixture that was found to be the most favorable plasticizer was characterized by good thermal and thermo-oxidative stability (5% weight loss temperature: 227.8 °C in air and 261.1 °C in nitrogen). The results of the research clearly indicate that the synthesized esters can provide a green alternative to toxic phthalate plasticizers.

Chitosan/starch-based composites were prepared by thermomechanical processing as an alternative to the traditional solution method, with the aim of fabricating environmentally friendly materials on a larger scale. Different contents and types of lignin and poly(vinyl alcohol), PVA were incorporated into chitosan/starch compositions to improve their mechanical properties. It was demonstrated that the presence of both lignin and PVA increases the values of tensile strength and elongation at break of the composites. Moreover, it was observed that by the selection of a type of lignin and PVA, it was possible to tailor the internal microstructure of the samples. As observed in scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs, the introduction of lignin and PVA resulted in the formation of a smooth surface and homogeneous samples.