The food industry faces numerous challenges to assure provision of tasty and convenient food that possesses extended shelf life and shows long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term high\uffe2\uff80\uff90quality preservation. Research and development of antimicrobial materials for food applications have provided active antibacterial packaging technologies that are able to meet these challenges. Furthermore, consumers expect and demand sustainable packaging materials that would reduce environmental problems associated with plastic waste. In this review, we discuss antimicrobial composite materials for active food packaging applications that combine highly efficient antibacterial nanoparticles (i.e., metal, metal oxide, mesoporous silica and graphene\uffe2\uff80\uff90based nanomaterials) with biodegradable and environmentally friendly green polymers (i.e., gelatin, alginate, cellulose, and chitosan) obtained from plants, bacteria, and animals. In addition, innovative syntheses and processing techniques used to obtain active and safe packaging are showcased. Implementation of such green active packaging can significantly reduce the risk of foodborne pathogen outbreaks, improve food safety and quality, and minimize product losses, while reducing waste and maintaining sustainability.The circular economy policy and the interest for sustainable material are inducing a constant expansion of the bio-composites market. The opportunity of using natural fibers in bio-based and biodegradable polymeric matrices, derived from industrial and/or agricultural waste, represents a stimulating challenge in the replacement of traditional composites based on fossil sources. The coupling of bioplastics with natural fibers in order to lower costs and promote degradability is one of the primary objectives of research, above all in the packaging and agricultural sectors where large amounts of non-recyclable plastics are generated, inducing a serious problem for plastic disposal and potential accumulation in the environment. Among biopolymers, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) is one of the most used compostable, bio-based polymeric matrices, since it exhibits process ability and mechanical properties compatible with a wide range of applications. In this study, two types of cellulosic fibers were processed with PLA in order to obtain bio-composites with different percentages of microfibers (5%, 10%, 20%). The mechanical properties were evaluated (tensile and impact test), and analytical models were applied in order to estimate the adhesion between matrix and fibers and to predict the material\uffe2\uff80\uff99s stiffness. Understanding these properties is of particular importance in order to be able to tune and project the final characteristics of bio-composites.
", "keywords": ["Bio-composites; Cellulose fibers; Mechanical properties; Poly(lactic acid); Biocompatible Materials; Cellulose; Elastic Modulus; Materials Testing; Polyesters; Thermogravimetry", "cellulose fibers", "Polyesters", "Biocompatible Materials", "02 engineering and technology", "mechanical properties", "7. Clean energy", "Article", "12. Responsible consumption", "0205 materials engineering", "13. Climate action", "Elastic Modulus", "Materials Testing", "Thermogravimetry", "bio-composites", "poly(lactic acid)", "14. Life underwater", "Cellulose", "0210 nano-technology"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/20/4/960/pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20040960"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/International%20Journal%20of%20Molecular%20Sciences", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3390/ijms20040960", "name": "item", "description": "10.3390/ijms20040960", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3390/ijms20040960"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-02-22T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "10.3390/ma12020270", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:22:35Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2019-01-16", "title": "Improved Impact Properties in Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) Blends Containing Cellulose Acetate (CA) Prepared by Reactive Extrusion", "description": "Poly(lactic acid)/triacetine plasticized cellulose acetate (PLA/pCA) blends were prepared by extrusion at two different temperatures and tetrabutylammonium tetraphenyl borate (TBATPB) was added as a transesterification catalyst to reactively promote the formation of PLA-CA copolymer during the reactive extrusion. The occurrence of chain scission in the PLA phase and branching/crosslinking in the CA phase in the presence of TBATPB, resulting also in a darkening of the material, were demonstrated by studying torque measurements and by performing proper thermogravimetric tests on CA with the different additives. Tensile and impact tests onto the blends prepared at the lower temperature showed better properties than the ones obtained at a higher temperature. Then, the mechanical properties of PLA/plasticized cellulose acetate (pCA) blends prepared at the lower temperature were investigated as a function of the content of plasticized CA in the blend. A range of compositions was observed where blends exhibited improved impact properties with respect to pure PLA without a significant decrease in their elastic modulus. The study of the phase morphology of the blends revealed that the occurrence of reactive compatibilization did not significantly affect the phase distribution. In general, fibrillar CA particles were formed in the PLA matrix during extrusion, thus allowing the preparation of CA fibre reinforced composites. The trend of morphology as a function of the composition and processing conditions was then discussed by considering the evolution of phase morphology in immiscible polymer blends.
", "keywords": ["cellulose acetate", "13. Climate action", "impact properties", "02 engineering and technology", "0210 nano-technology", "Cellulose acetate; Impact properties; Phase morphology; Poly(lactic acid); Reactive extrusion; Materials Science (all)", "7. Clean energy", "poly(lactic acid)", " reactive extrusion", "phase morphology", "Article"]}, "links": [{"href": "http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/12/2/270/pdf"}, {"href": "https://arpi.unipi.it/bitstream/11568/960015/1/materials-12-00270-v2.pdf"}, {"href": "https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12020270"}, {"rel": "related", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/Materials", "name": "related record", "description": "related record", "type": "application/json"}, {"rel": "self", "type": "application/geo+json", "title": "10.3390/ma12020270", "name": "item", "description": "10.3390/ma12020270", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main/items/10.3390/ma12020270"}, {"rel": "collection", "type": "application/json", "title": "Collection", "name": "collection", "description": "Collection", "href": "https://repository.soilwise-he.eu/cat/collections/metadata:main"}], "time": {"date": "2019-01-15T00:00:00Z"}}, {"id": "3135523176", "type": "Feature", "geometry": null, "properties": {"updated": "2026-04-03T16:28:37Z", "type": "Journal Article", "created": "2021-03-05", "title": "Antimicrobial nanoparticles and biodegradable polymer composites for active food packaging applications", "description": "AbstractThe food industry faces numerous challenges to assure provision of tasty and convenient food that possesses extended shelf life and shows long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term high\uffe2\uff80\uff90quality preservation. Research and development of antimicrobial materials for food applications have provided active antibacterial packaging technologies that are able to meet these challenges. Furthermore, consumers expect and demand sustainable packaging materials that would reduce environmental problems associated with plastic waste. In this review, we discuss antimicrobial composite materials for active food packaging applications that combine highly efficient antibacterial nanoparticles (i.e., metal, metal oxide, mesoporous silica and graphene\uffe2\uff80\uff90based nanomaterials) with biodegradable and environmentally friendly green polymers (i.e., gelatin, alginate, cellulose, and chitosan) obtained from plants, bacteria, and animals. In addition, innovative syntheses and processing techniques used to obtain active and safe packaging are showcased. Implementation of such green active packaging can significantly reduce the risk of foodborne pathogen outbreaks, improve food safety and quality, and minimize product losses, while reducing waste and maintaining sustainability.The food industry faces numerous challenges to assure provision of tasty and convenient food that possesses extended shelf life and shows long\uffe2\uff80\uff90term high\uffe2\uff80\uff90quality preservation. Research and development of antimicrobial materials for food applications have provided active antibacterial packaging technologies that are able to meet these challenges. Furthermore, consumers expect and demand sustainable packaging materials that would reduce environmental problems associated with plastic waste. In this review, we discuss antimicrobial composite materials for active food packaging applications that combine highly efficient antibacterial nanoparticles (i.e., metal, metal oxide, mesoporous silica and graphene\uffe2\uff80\uff90based nanomaterials) with biodegradable and environmentally friendly green polymers (i.e., gelatin, alginate, cellulose, and chitosan) obtained from plants, bacteria, and animals. In addition, innovative syntheses and processing techniques used to obtain active and safe packaging are showcased. Implementation of such green active packaging can significantly reduce the risk of foodborne pathogen outbreaks, improve food safety and quality, and minimize product losses, while reducing waste and maintaining sustainability.