Bionanocomposites of pectin and pracaxi oil nanoemulsion as active packaging for butter

Abstract

A new active packaging with antioxidant action was designed and developed. It consisted of a bionanocomposite in which different concentrations of a pracaxi oil nanoemulsion were incorporated into a plasticized xylitol pectin matrix. The water vapor barrier properties and the thermodynamic parameters associated with water adsorption were investigated, where the experimental data pointed out that the addition of the pracaxi oil nanoemulsion increased the activation energy of water vapor permeation in the films and consequently reduced the permeability of the bionanocomposites. In addition, the nanoemulsion increased the number of active sites on the surface of the films, which favored water adsorption on the surface of the films. Also, the results showed that, in comparison with the pectin film, the bionanocomposite containing the pracaxi oil nanoemulsion efficiently improved the stability of butter samples against oxidation processes and was a promising strategy for extending the shelf life of butter.