Polymer Chemistry

Preventing food waste and food-borne illnesses is an important task today, in which the development of active, shelf life-enhancing packaging plays a major role (Dashipour et al., 2014; Sahraee et al., 2017).

In our research cellulose fiber based paper was prepared by the addition of potassium humate and copper sulfate. The aim of the research was to produce paper with a higher copper content that could extend the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, thus reducing the amount of food that becomes waste, and increasing food safety. An important task of our research was to investigate and identify the bonds between copper, humate and cellulose fibers in the paper and to determine these properties by surface composition (EDX), morphology (SEM), and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). In our research, it was determined how the copper-binding capacity of humate-containing cellulosic fiber-based paper changes as a function of the humate content. The antibacterial and antifungal properties of the paper were also investigated.

During the research, paper with a higher copper content was successfully produced. The humate-containing paper had a 79-217 percent increase in copper compared to the copper sulfate but humate-free paper. Based on the results of SEM, EDS and FT-IR, it can be stated that a bond was formed between the humate and the copper particles. The paper containing humate and copper has been demonstrated to have antibacterial and antifungal properties both in vivo and in vitro.

 

This article was made in frame of the „EFOP-3.6.1-16-2016-00018 – Improving the role of research+development+innovation in the higher education through institutional developments assisting intelligent specialization in Sopron and Szombathely".