The active composites films were developed by incorporation
of GSE as antimicrobial agent into carrageenan and the resulting
composite films were characterized physically and mechanically.
The properties of carrageenan based composite films were significantly
affected by the addition of GSE. UV barrier properties of
films were increased owing to the presence of polyphenolic compounds
in the GSE. The water contact angle of the films decreased
while water vapor permeability increased slightly after addition of
hydrophilic GSE. The TS of the films decreased significantly, while
elongation increased due the plasticizing effect of the GSE. Results
obtained from FE-SEM, FT-IR, XRD, and TGA analysis indicated that
the changes in the physical and mechanical properties of films
were closely associated with the interactions of polymer with GSE.
The thermal stability of the carrageenan film has not been influenced
significantly by the incorporation of GSE. In addition, the
GSE incorporated composite films showed strong inhibitory activity
against various Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens.
Conclusively, the carrageenan/GSE composite films can be used as
an efficient antimicrobial biodegradable packaging film to extend
the shelf-life of packaged foods. Furthermore, the carrageenan/GSE
composite films with the excellent UV barrier property and high
transparency have a high potential for the use as a UV screening
films for packaging UV-sensitive foods. However, further study
on improving mechanical properties of the film is needed for the
industrial application for food packaging.