Polyvinyl alcohol -nanocomposite films incorporated with clay nanoparticles and lipopeptides as active food wraps against food spoilage microbes

In the study, the effectiveness of lipopeptide containing nanocomposite film has been investigated for food packaging applications against the spoilage organisms and foodborne pathogens. Here, polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) films incorporated with clay nanoparticles (C) and lipopeptides (L) were prepared by solvent casting. The prepared films were further characterized by Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy, universal testing machine, and scanning electron microscopy. From the results, the lipopeptides and clay nanoparticles incorporated PVOH nanocomposite film (PNF) was found to have enhanced mechanical and barrier properties when compared with the neat PVOH film. The thickness, tensile strength, Young’s modulus, elongation at break, and water absorption capacity of the PNF film were 0.170 ± 0.008 mm, 34.4 ± 1.8 MPa, 1.4 ± 0.3 GPa, 82 ± 2 %, and 94.92 %, respectively. The PNF film developed in the study was found to inhibit the growth of foodborne pathogen Salmonella typhimurium and also the spoilage causing Pythium myriotylum. From the results, the films engineered with the lipopeptides and clay nanoparticles can be considered to have application as active food packaging wraps for the protection and preservation of food products.