Fabrication of nanoceria and metakaolin activated poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate)-based composite for active food packaging applications

There is a growing interest in bioplastic-based degradable and sustainable packaging film and in this regard, poly (butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) can be a good choice owing to similar flexibility to commonly used traditional plastic. Even though poly butylene adipate-co-terephthalate is promising as an alternative, it lacks many desirable properties such as working as a barrier, mechanical strength, transparency, and functionality for active food packaging systems. Therefore, adding functional fillers can be helpful to achieve this goal. The nanoceria and metakaolin are known as active ingredients, and adding these fillers in PBAT film is expected to enhance the physical and functional properties. The functional packaging film made with PBAT was produced by mixing the solution and casting it. The addition of fillers nanoceria (CeO2NPs) and metakaolin (MK) has improved the film's mechanical characteristics, hydrophobicity, and barrier qualities significantly. Moreover, the antimicrobial resistance properties towards Gram-negative and positive bacterial strains also increased pointedly. Therefore, the PBAT packages for food can greatly benefit from the use of functional packaging film.