Preparation, characterization, and oxygen scavenging capacity of biodegradable α-tocopherol/PLA microparticles for active food packaging applications

In this work, a biodegradable oxygen scavenger system, which consists of α-tocopherol-loaded poly(lactic)acid microparticles containing 40 wt% of the natural antioxidant agent, was prepared by an oil in water (O/W) emulsion-solvent evaporation method. The preparation procedure assured high encapsulation efficiency and production yield and gives no noticeable alteration of the molecular structure of the microencapsulated active α-tocopherol, as demonstrated by Fourier-transform infrared and thermogravimetric analyses measurements. The produced active microparticles are semicrystalline and are characterized by suitable morphology (size and shape) to have satisfactory flowability to be used as active powder additive in conventional polymer extrusion technologies. Both the scavenging capacity and rate are in line with the values required for an effective oxygen scavenger system.