Polybutylene succinate film incorporating essential oil as active packaging materials to prolong tomatoes shelf-life

Abstract

The present research work deals with the laboratory scale manufacturing of thin films based on polybutylene succinate (PBS), a sustainably obtained biodegradable polyester (bioplastic), with the aim to propose their use in food packaging in order to slow down the food degradation process, to replace the polymers derived from fossil fuels. To this purpose, thin films of (PBS) were prepared by adding diverse Mediterranean herbs extracts up to 3% by weight. Specifically, PBS was added with three different types of natural oils/extracts: thymol, carvacrol, and basil extract (mainly rich in eugenol). These compounds, well known for their antioxidant and antimicrobial potential, conferred functional activity to the films. The resulting materials were characterized in terms of chemical, thermal, optical, mechanical, and gas permeability properties, as well as antioxidant activity and preliminary food-contact tests. Tomatoes wrapped in the active films showed delayed oxidative browning and reduced microbial spoilage during three weeks of storage. Among the various formulations, the blend containing all essential oils (PBS/All) offered the best compromise between thermal stability, structural compactness, and preservation capacity. These results suggest that PBS/All films are promising candidates for sustainable active packaging applications.