Development of High Oxygen Barrier Multi-layered Packaging Film for Shelf Life Extension of Ready-to-Cook (RTC) Idli Batter

Aim: The current study focuses on development of high oxygen barrier multi-layered packaging film for shelf life extension of Ready-to-Cook (RTC) idli batter.

Place and Duration of Study: Department of Food Packaging and System Development at Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, India, between Aug 2018 and Dec 2019.

Methodology: The developed multi-layered film composed with polypropylene (PP) nanocomposite by depositing silicon dioxide (SiO2) on PP (0.010 mm) film and attached with different thickness of barrier layers were PP (0.010–0.053 mm) and ethylene-vinyl alcohol (EVOH 32%) film (0.066 mm) using layer-by-layer (LbL) process. The physical and chemical characteristics of commercial (A) and all developed multi-layered (B, C, D, E and F) films were tested for barrier and mechanical properties.

Results and Discussion: The SEM analysis confirmed that the developed PP nanocomposite multi-layered films have a presence of SiO2 with quasi-spherical structure with diameter ranging from 200 to 500 nm. FTIR analysis also identified the presence of Si-O-Si group on all the developed PP nanocomposite films at wavenumber ranges from 1100-900 cm-1 and 467 cm-1. The film composed with PP++SiO2+EVOH (sample F) showed lower in oxygen transmission rate (OTR) of 452.46±33.94 cc/m2/24h and water vapour transmission rate (WVTR) of 1.07±0.16 g/m2 day. The batter stored in sample F film help to extend the shelf life upto 33 h at ambient temperature and commercially stored batter spoiled quickly (24 h) at ambient temperature.