Active packaging material based on biodegradable polymer

Modern trends in processing, storage and packaging of food products are aimed at preserving the native properties of raw materials, ensuring hygienic safety, modern design and properties of the packaging material intended for the consumer. Pasteurized milk production includes following stages - normalization, heat treatment, packing and packaging, at which it is important to preserve the quality of the finished dairy product, that is why polymeric containers are used for most dairy products. The research was aimed to develop polymeric packaging for milk, characterized by additional material functions and capable of biological degradation after use. Polylactide with the introduction of an inert filler was chosen as a promising packaging material. The authors have produced electret films based on polylactide with the introduction of 2, 4 and 6% talc. Polarization of the samples was carried out by means of corona discharge on a unit with a square needle electrode with an area of 49 cm2. Increasing the talc content in the composition of samples contributed to the reduction of mechanical characteristics of materials. It was found that the introduction of talc into polylactide increases the electret properties of the material, which is based on the occurrence of additional traps of injected charge carriers. The developed polymeric material was tested using cow's milk industrially pasteurized at 74-76°C. Studies were conducted to evaluate the effect of electret polylactide film on acidity and microflora composition of pasteurized milk during storage at 37°C for 48 hours. In the presence of active packaging material, the formation of a dense milk clot and an increase in the acidity of the product were observed during the milk fermentation.