Biodegradation of Polylactic Acid-Based Bio Composites Reinforced with Chitosan and Essential Oils as Anti-Microbial Material for Food Packaging

This study aims to produce and investigate the potential of biodegradable Polylactic Acid (PLA)-based composites mixed with chitosan and Turmeric Essential Oil (TEO) as an anti-microbial biomaterial. PLA has good barrier properties for moisture, so it is suitable for use as a raw material for making packaging and is included in the GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe). Chitosan is a non-toxic and antibacterial cationic polysaccharide that needs to be improved in its ability to fight microbes. TEO must be added to increase antibacterial properties due to a large number of hydroxyl (-OH) and carbonyl functional groups. The samples were prepared in three different variations: 2 g of chitosan, 0 mL TEO and 0 mL glycerol (Biofilm 1), 3 g of chitosan, 0.3 mL TEO and 0.5 mL of glycerol (Biofilm 2), and 4 g of chitosan, 0.3 of TEO and 0.5 mL of glycerol (Biofilm 3). The final product was characterized by its functional group through Fourier transform infrared (FTIR); the functional groups contained by the addition of TEO are C-H, C=O, O-H, and N-H with the extraction method, and as indicated by the emergence of a wide band at 3503 cm-1, turmeric essential oil interacts with the polymer matrix by creating intermolecular hydrogen bonds between their terminal hydroxyl group and the carbonyl groups of the ester moieties of both PLA and Chitosan. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) of PLA as biofilms, the maximum temperature of a biofilm was observed at 315.74 °C in the variation of 4 g chitosan, 0.3 mL TEO, and 0.5 mL glycerol (Biofilm 3). Morphological conditions analyzed under scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that the addition of TEO inside the chitosan interlayer bound chitosan molecules to produce solid particles. Chitosan and TEO showed increased anti-bacterial activity in the anti-microbial test. Furthermore, after 12 days of exposure to open areas, the biofilms generated were able to resist S. aureus and E. coli bacteria.