Fabrication of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) based films incorporated with carbon nanoparticles: Postharvest shelf-life extension of green chilies (Capsicum annuum L.)

The requirement for recyclable alternatives was prompted to environmental issues caused on by an increase of waste due to the short-term utilization of plastic materials, mostly for food packaging. In this work, a recyclable polymer called poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)-PBAT, which has a small amount of the carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) added to it-one of these choices was studied. Here, we produced PBAT composite film with CNPs as filler utilizing a solution casting method. The composite film was mixed with CNPs in different amounts (1.0, 2.0, 3.0, and 5.0 wt%) while its effects on the film characteristics were examined. FTIR, XRD, and SEM were utilized to study the composition, structure, and sizes of the PBAT/CNPs composites. Adding 3.0 wt% CNPs to the PBAT resulted in a somewhat miscible blend with a droplet-matrix shape, according to the SEM results. The CNPs, enhanced the tensile strength by above 100 %, according to the results of the universal testing machine, and the added CNPs filler was dispersed uniformly within the PBAT. While the mechanical, hydrophobicity, and barrier (O2 and H2O) properties of the PBAT/CNPs composite film were improved, and their microstructures were maintained. With increasing CNPs contents, the films' antimicrobial activity increased; at a 3.0 wt% CNPs level, all of the examined bacteria (S. aureus, and E. coli) had the rate of microbial growth notably increased. Green chilies (Capsicum annuum L.) packed in commercial LDPE film, PBAT/CNPs (PCNB-4) composite film had a shelf-life of 20, and 25 d, respectively, compared to 10 d with control samples. The food quality test results revealed that green chilies could have more extended shelf-life up to 25 d at room temperature-when preserved on the PBAT/CNPs composite film (PCNB-4).