Tear‐Mechanics and Barrier Performance Assessment of Melt‐Blown Polylactic Acid/Halloysite Nanocomposite Fruit‐Packaging Films for Shelf‐Life Enhancement

ABSTRACT Extrusion melt‐blown nanocomposite films of polylactic acid (PLA)/halloysite nanotubes (HNT) have been fabricated and were characterized for their structural, morphological, thermal, mechanical, and thermomechanical properties. Tear mechanics assessment of nanocomposite films under low‐strain (trouser tear; @5 mm/min) and high‐strain (Elmendorf tear; @10 mm/min) modes revealed a significant enhancement in tear resistance, with ~40% improvement under low‐strain and ~30% under high‐strain for the optimally reinforced film containing 4.5 wt% HNT. The barrier performance of the PLAH4.5 nanocomposite film demonstrated up to 55% and 15% reductions in oxygen transmission rate (OTR) and water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), respectively. The effectiveness of the optimized composite packaging film was reflected in the shelf‐life extension of banana packed in films plucked from the same bunch, where the model fruit remained 25% firmer in Shore A, with a 50% reduction in ripening index and with a marginal 5% physiological weight loss. The physiological and mechanical degradation due to soil burial of the composite films has also been observed to be composition dependent. Our study conceptually demonstrates the critical composition dependence of PLA/HNT composite films in synergistically leading to robust tear mechanics in combination with significant enhancement in shelf life due to an intrinsic increase in barrier effectiveness.