Abstract
An active packaging film based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA) incorporated with 9 wt% bergamot, lemongrass, rosemary, or clove essential oils was developed. The influence of essential oils on the properties of the PLA/essential oil blends was studied. The mechanical and antimicrobial properties of PLA/essential oil blends were found to be superior to pure PLA. The WVP of PLA/essential oil blend films was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than that of pure PLA film. All FTIR spectra of PLA/essential oil blends displayed the characteristic bands of PLA-based materials. The addition of essential oils in the polymer matrix resulted in a two-step degradation process of TGA. Furthermore, essential oils led to the decrease of the glass transition temperature according to the DSC results.
