Influence of Composition on Structure and Barrier Properties of Active PET Films for Food Packaging Applications

A very attractive solution in food packaging technology is the functionalization of packaging materials by incorporating an active phase into polymeric matrices. Nowadays, the applications of active substances into flexible packaging are very limited due to difficulties in realizing performing films by common manufactory processes. This work is focused on the production and characterization of monolayer poly(ethylene terephtalate) (PET) active films at different concentrations of an oxygen scavenger by cast extrusion process. Rheological, thermal, morphological analyses and oxygen absorption measurements were carried out on the produced samples to investigate the structure of active PET films and to determine their scavenging properties. Overall migration analyses were performed on active films to asses their safety in use with foodstuff, and finally the produced films were used to package fresh banana slices for evaluating their capability in quality foods preservation. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.