The Impact of Accelerated Aging on Organic, Inorganic, and Food-Nature Biocolorants in Biodegradable Polymer Films

This work presents the preparation and obtained results of the properties of biodegradable-oriented systems of dyed polymer by biocolorants in mass. The oriented systems (films) were prepared from biodegradable material Nonoilen. Our applied research is focused on preparing masterbatches using inorganic, organic, and food-nature pigments to prepare films as packaging materials. Inorganic pigments, such as iron and titanium oxide, and organic pigments were selected to maintain the biodegradability of the polymer mixture, as the manufacturer declares the biodegradability of the selected pigments. The food-natural pigments are extracted from plants and food pigments, such as chlorophyll, caramel, and violets. First, rheology was evaluated to verify the processing conditions of the materials, and then the properties of the prepared films were examined. Mechanical properties, supermolecular structure, and coloristic properties were assessed for the pure and dyed films. We investigated color fastness after accelerated thermal-light aging using Q-SUN equipment. Food-nature pigments showed sufficient colorability after preparation, although the coloration was lost relatively quickly after accelerated light aging. If they are used as food packaging materials, these pigments would be highly safe for health, in addition to being biodegradable. The color stability of inorganic and organic pigments reached high stability values even after accelerated aging.