ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Potassium sorbate release from poly(vinyl alcohol)-bacterial cellulose films

Iuliana Mihaela Jipa, Anicuta Stoica, Marta Stroescu, Loredana-Mihaela Dobre, Tanase Dobre, Sorin Jinga, and Christu Tardei

Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science, University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest, Polizu 1-3, 011061 Bucharest, Romania

E-mail: iulia.jipa@yahoo.com

Abstract: Active packaging materials are the subject of research because their performance exceeds that of traditional packaging. From this class, antimicrobial materials extend the shelf-life of products and reduce the risk of contamination by pathogens. In this paper, new composite materials with antimicrobial properties are obtained by using polyvinyl alcohol and bacterial cellulose powder. Potassium (2E,4E)-hexa-2,4-dienoate was used as the antimicrobial agent. The films thus obtained were characterised using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Mass transfer phenomena concerning the release of potassium (2E,4E)-hexa-2,4-dienoate were investigated. The results indicated that the new biocomposite films could be used as antimicrobial packaging materials.

Keywords: bacterial cellulose – polyvinyl alcohol – antimicrobial films – potassium sorbate – composite films

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.2478/s11696-011-0068-4

Chemical Papers 66 (2) 138–143 (2012)