Preparation and characterization of active alginate films incorporating eugenol-loaded lignin microparticles

LUISINA BRESSAN; TAVERNA, MARÍA EUGENIA; BUSATTO, CARLOS; JAVIER GUASTAVINO; DIANA ALEJANDRA ESTENOZ

Congreso; XX B-MRS Meeting; 2022

Lignocellulosic biomass represents a sustainable choice for the production of different fuels, chemicals, and materials. Lignin is the second most abundant polymer after cellulose and is the largest renewable source of aromatic groups in nature. The development of food packaging materials based on lignin is a promising alternative for the replacement of petroleum-based materials due to environmental concerns. Lignin nano- and microparticles encapsulating biocides, such as eugenol, can be prepared and used to produce biopolymer-based films. In this work, ionic lignin was used for the preparation of microparticles by the precipitation method. Lignin particles were characterized by optical microscopy and the average size was 2.85±1.65 μm. Eugenol encapsulation in the particles was evaluated at different drug loadings (10 and 20%). The encapsulation efficiency was determined by GC and the result showed that a higher encapsulation was obtained for particles containing 20% of eugenol. The eugenol-loaded microparticles were employed for the fabrication of sodium alginate films containing 10, 20, and 30% w/w of particles. The films were characterized by SEM, FTIR, and TGA analysis in order to evaluate the distribution of particles in the films, the functional groups of the components, and their thermal stability, respectively. The films exhibited a homogeneous distribution of particles and good thermal stability.