Preparation and Characterization of a Bionanopolymer Film for Packaging Applications (a Case Study: Walnut Packaging)

The carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) film were prepared by adding three levels of nanoclay particles (0.5, 1 and 3%) using solution casting evaporation method. The incorporation of nanoclay on mechanical, water vapor permeability, and oxygen barrier properties of CMC/PVA-based film was investigated. The best result was obtained through the nanocomposite film contain 3% nanoclay. In the next step, the CMC/PVA/nanoclay films were employed for walnut packaging. After 90 days storage in the environmental condition, the optimum result was found through the nanocomposite film with 3% nanoclay in terms of oil content, moisture content, acidity and peroxide indexes of walnuts. According to the overall results, the reinforcement of CMC/PVA film with 3% nanoclay could be introduced as a good candidate for the development of high barrier food packaging material against the diffusion of water vapor and oxygen permeability.