Development of photo-modified starchikefiran/TiO2 bio-nanocomposite as an environmentally-friendly food packaging material

This paper reports on an experiment in which starch/kefiran/TiO2 (SKT)-based bio-nanocomposite films were developed and modified by photo-chemical reaction. In so doing, film-forming solutions were exposed to ultraviolet A (UV-A) for different times (1, 6, and 12 h). The obtained results indicated that increasing UV-A exposure time brought about an increase (approximate to 14.9%) in the tensile strength of bio-nanocomposites. However, elongation at break and Young's modulus of irradiated film specimen decreased (approximate to 32%, approximate to 12%, respectively) by increasing UV-A exposure time, and the moisture-sensitive parameters of specimen decreased using UV-A irradiation. According to the results, the functional properties of irradiated bio-nanocomposite are depended on the ratio of cross-linkages between polymer chains and the potentially produced mono and disaccharide by UV-A (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.