Compostable Polylactide and Cellulose Based Packaging for Fresh-Cut Cherry Tomatoes: Performance Evaluation and Influence of Sterilization Treatment

For food packaging, plastic materials display large appeal, mostly due to their versatility,mechanical, optical and barrier properties. However, they play an important role in environmentalconcerns and waste management issue. Compostable bioplastics represent alternative materialsdesigned for a lower environmental impact. In this work, a biobased compostable packaging,constituted by polylactide (PLA) trays and NatureFlex(TM) film, was evaluated for fresh-cut cherrytomato. A comparative analysis was accomplished using traditional packaging materials, thatis, polyethylene terephtalate (PET) trays and polypropylene (PP Coex) film. Structural stabilityunder food contact conditions, mechanical and physical-chemical properties were investigated.Tensile mechanical properties, puncture resistance, contact angle (CA) and attenuated total reflectionFourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), before and after UV or radiofrequency (RF)sterilization treatment, were evaluated. UV irradiation method resulted the less invasive one.Therefore, oxygen and water vapor transmission rate (OTR and WVTR), overall chemical migrationtest, biodegradation assessment by biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) according to ISO 14851 anddisintegration test by ISO 20200 were carried out to establish the further influence of UV sterilizationon the packaging. Overall, data showed that the biobased compostable packaging for a prolongedshelf-life of fresh-cut cherry tomato has better properties that were surprisingly enhanced by theUV treatment