Development of PLA‐ZnO Nanocomposites for Food Packaging Applications

ABSTRACT Vegetables and fruits are widely consumed and highly perishable commodities, developing effective packaging materials essential to extend their shelf life while maintaining quality and safety. A Packing material with excellent tensile strength is eco‐friendly, non‐toxic, and better alternative to polyethylene material. The present work explores the utilization of zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles embedded within Polylactic Acid (PLA) as an innovative packaging material. The PLA is used in a wide range of applications, such as health care, implants, memory devices, food packaging, and tissue engineering, because it is biodegradable in nature. The addition of ZnO into PLA enhances electrical, mechanical, anti‐UV, and antibacterial properties. The PLA‐ZnO composites were prepared by the solution‐blending method. The Tensile strength and modulus of PLA‐ZnO nanocomposites increase as compared with the virgin PLA. The results from electrical properties exhibit a significant enhancement in dielectric constant and a decrease in dissipation factor of the nanocomposite. In addition, antibacterial results show that the prepared nanocomposite films exhibit strong antimicrobial ability at very low ZnO addition. The results demonstrate that the novel nanocomposites could be a good candidate material for food packaging applications.