The Role of Potassium Sorbate in Multi-Layer Chitosan-Based on Aspergillus Niger

Joseph, Tarnue Barbu (2014-12-12)

Thesis

This paper presents the use of multilayered chitosan films incorporated with antimicrobial agent, potassium sorbate to enhance effective food packaging. In this study, potassium sorbate was incorporated into multilayer chitosan films for antimicrobial food packaging applications. The effectiveness of the films was tested through measurement of release kinetics and antimicrobial activity on a selected microorganism, Aspergillus niger. All the films prepared with potassium sorbate showed growth inhibition on Aspergillus niger. FTIR was used to characterize the presents of amino group’s presents in the chitosan film, whiles SEM and Celestron microscope were used to examine the morphologies of the films. UV-Vis was used to analyze the amount of potassium sorbate release over time. The most significant characteristics of these films were their asymmetric porous structure. The results were then discussed for potential applications of potassium sorbate incorporated into a multilayer chitosan-films for controlled release of antimicrobial agents for food packaging.