Aloe vera silver nanoparticles addition in chitosan films: improvement of physicochemical properties for eco-friendly food packaging material

In recent times, the searches for alternative materials to plastic is a popular topic, due to the danger that synthetic materials cause to the environment and humans. Among the promising natural polymers, chitosan (CS) is certainly one of the most suitable since it it is edible, non-toxic and derives from crustacean waste.- However, it is necessary to improve its physical properties to be widely applied in food packaging, whose market is dominated by synthetic plastic. In this work we have synthesized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using hot-plate and microwaves-based techniques, using Aloe Vera leaves extracts. The synthetic process follows the principles of green chemistry, since no toxic substance is used to obtain nanomaterials. These NPs, having dimensions <20 nm, were characterized by TEM, zeta potential, UV-vis, FTIR, and then added to CS having low and medium molecular weight to develop thin films after its polymerization. These films were evaluated in terms of swelling ratio, optical properties, thermal stability, wettability, roughness, and friction coefficient, understanding that the physical properties of the films improved after the intercalation of the AgNPs, albeit differences were observed using the two NPs type. Subsequently, the release of silver ions from films using different pH as well as in vitro toxicity tests were carried out to evaluate their applicability. Largely, the excellent properties of new com- posite materials make them promising materials for packaging of different kinds of foods.(c) 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

In recent years, the search for alternative materials to plastic has become popular due to the environmental and health hazards posed by synthetic materials. Chitosan, derived from crustacean waste, is a promising natural polymer due to its edible and non-toxic properties. However, its physical properties need to be improved for wider application in food packaging, which is currently dominated by synthetic plastic.