Structural and thermal characterization of plasticized POLY (LACTIC ACID) films for food packaging

V.P.MARTINO; R.A.RUSECKAITE; A.JIMENEZ

Alcoy, España

Jornada; II JORNADAS: LA INVESTIGACIÓN ANTE LA SOCIEDAD DEL CONOCIMIENTO.; 2005

Escuela politécnica de Alcoy

Poly(lactide acid) (PLA) is a biodegradable thermoplastic polyester synthesised from lactic acid produced through fermentation of renewable resources. It shows excellent physical characteristics, such as transparency and good barrier properties that make it suitable for many applications, in particular food packaging [2]. However, its flexibility is low and plasticization of PLA is required in order to obtain flexible films. In this work, four different plasticizers were tested in PLA films obtained by casting from acetone and chloroform solutions. The plasticizers used are non-toxic substances approved for food contact, and miscible with PLA by creating a homogeneous blend, di-(2-ethylhexyl) adipate and three commercial polymeric adipates (polymeric esters of adipic acid) with different viscosities.