Maleic anhydride compatibilized peach waste as filler in polypropylene and high density polyethylene biocomposites

It is estimated that roughly 103, 515 tons of peach waste is produced annually in the US. The majority of the waste is disposed of in landfills, which contributes to climate change as they release 93 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent. Peach waste principally consists of remaining stone and seed after flesh removal. The agro-waste includes both cellulose and lignin, which can be utilized as a filler in plastic packaging to reduce carbon footprints and material cost. The objectives of this research are (1) to develop peach flour (PF)-filled biocomposites with a polyolefin matrix using maleic anhydride-g-high density polyethylene (MAH-g-HDPE) coupling agent resin and (2) to investigate the composites’ physicomechanical, thermal, and water absorbance changes. First, preliminary experiments examined a range of PF concentrations (5-50%) and MAH concentrations (0-17%) were tested to narrow the variability of PF and MAH loading mixture in an HDPE matrix. Preliminary experiments suggested that a 2:1 ratio of PF:CR provides maximum tensile properties. Response surface methodology (RSM) was utilized to analyze and optimize the tensile strength of the PW composite. The RSM parameters were MAH loading (5-20%), PF loading (2.5-10%), and polyolefin matrix (HDPE or polypropylene). The properties of PF-HDPE biocomposites were analyzed using several instrumental analyses. Mechanical strength (including tensile strength, elongation, and Young’s modulus) and thermal properties (thermal degradation, melting point, and crystallinity), and water resistance with the addition of PF and MAH were investigated. Biocomposite mechanical properties generally resulted in a nonsignificant decrease compared to the controls. Water absorption significantly increased with PF loading (P\u3c0.01, =0.05). PF-PP biocomposites demonstrated a shift in thermal stability with an average 9.6% increase in Td compared to its control, whereas PF-HDPE biocomposites displayed no change in Td compared to its control. PF-PP and PF-HDPE biocomposites experienced a 36.7% and 16.0% decrease, respectively, in crystallinity with PF addition. The results provided evidence that peach byproduct can be diverted from landfills and utilized a filler in a polyolefin matrix. Polyolefin biocomposites with 2.5% PF would possess comparable tensile strength to a commercially available control. PF-polyolefin biocomposites can be used for packaging, automotive, and non-weightbearing construction parts

Combined effects of calcium ascorbate treatment and modified atmosphere packaging to improve quality retention of fresh-cut cantaloupes

The impact of passive modified atmosphere packaging technique (MP) and calcium ascorbate (CA) on the extension of freshness and shelf life in fresh-cut cantaloupe was studied at two storage temperatures (4 and 10°C). Fresh cantaloupes were cut into uniform size cubes (25.4 mm x 25.4mm x 25.4mm). Then, half of the fresh cut cubes was dipped into the treatment solution, and the others were not. Clamshell tray with snap-on lid (control) and micro-perforated sealable lid (MP) was used as the fresh cut fruits packaging. Fresh cut cantaloupes in CA and MP combination (CA-MP) observed the highest quality preservation among the other samples. The maximum inhibition of mold and yeast was up to 3.0 log10 CFU/g, comparing to control. CA-MP also maintained higher physiochemical quality parameters, including color, texture, L-ascorbic acid and total soluble solid contents. The results indicated that the modified atmosphere and calcium ascorbate combination treatment is a potential application to extend the shelf life of fresh-cut cantaloupes