Modification of Edible Food Packaging Materials Based on Natural Polymer Blends by Ionizing Radiation

Blends based on different ratios of plasticised starch (PLST), poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) were prepared by solution casting in the form of thin films. The PLST/PVA and PLST/CMC films were exposed to different doses of gamma radiation. The effect of gamma-irradiation on the thermal, mechanical and structure morphology properties was investigated. As an application in the field of the prolongation of food preservation life time, Mango fruits were coated with solutions of gamma-irradiated PLST/PVA and PLST/CMC blends in the presence of chitosan, as an antimicrobial material, to form thin films. The results showed that the gamma-irradiation improved all the physical properties, which provides suitable materials based on natural biodegradable polymers for food preservation withstanding the temperature and stresses.