Improvement in liquid absorption of open-cell polymeric foam by plasma treatment for food packaging applications
Improvement in liquid absorption of open-cell polymeric foam by plasma treatment for food packaging applications
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DOI：
10.1002/app.52015
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发表时间：
2021-12-10
影响因子：
3
通讯作者：
Deganello, Davide
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Alaizoki, Alaa;Phillips, Christopher;Deganello, Davide
塑料包装中自由移动的肉类渗出物被消费者认为是不卫生和不吸引人的。它促进了肉类质量和安全的恶化，增加了肉类的浪费和损失。这项工作讨论了一种创新的方法，在清除肉类渗出物在商业塑料包装。这涉及通过应用氧等离子体处理而不是化学润湿剂来改善开孔聚苯乙烯（PS）泡沫的液体吸收能力。激发的等离子体物质扩散到多孔泡沫结构中，将极性氧基团引入到孔壁上，并改善其表面亲水性。因此，泡沫孔，对水基液体具有增强的润湿性，提出具有更大的吸入毛细管压力，从而增加多孔PS泡沫的吸收能力。作为等离子体处理的结果，PS泡沫片（厚度：5 mm）的比液体吸收能力从1.09 g g（-1）（每克PS泡沫吸收的渗出物模拟液体的克数）增加到8.78 g g（-1）;液体容量（g g（-1））的八倍增加甚至在处理后持续60天。本研究证明了使用等离子体处理作为一种非化学和有效的技术在清除塑料包装中的肉类和食品渗出物方面的实用性。
Free-moving meat exudate in plastic packaging is perceived as unhygienic and unattractive by consumers. It facilitates the deterioration of meat quality and safety, increasing meat waste and loss. This work discusses an innovative approach in scavenging meat exudate within commercial plastic packaging. This involves improving the liquid absorption capabilities of open-cell polystyrene (PS) foam through the application of oxygen plasma treatment rather than chemical wetting agents. The excited plasma species diffuse into the porous foam structure introducing polar oxygen groups onto the pore walls and improves their surface hydrophilicity. Hence, the foam pores, with enhanced wettability towards water-based liquids, are proposed to have a larger sucking capillary pressure thus increasing the absorption capacity of the porous PS foam. The specific liquid absorption capacity of PS foam sheets (thickness: 5 mm) increased from 1.09 g g(-1) (grams of exudate simulant liquid absorbed per gram of PS foam) to 8.78 g g(-1) as a result of plasma treatment; an eightfold increase in liquid capacity (g g(-1)) that persisted even 60 days post treatment. This study demonstrates the practicality of using plasma treatment as a non-chemical and efficient technology in scavenging meat and food exudates in plastic packaging.