Effectiveness of Clove oil-enriched starch films as packaging materials

Plastics are employed for food packaging; it imparts huge pollution to the environment. Meanwhile, biodegradable materials are employed for the same function, as they not only provide a barrier but also prevent the microbial contamination. The aim of the study is to analyse the film-forming capacity of the starch along with the essential oils and identify its antibacterial property. Starch, due to its abundance and cost-effectiveness, was a choice for packing different food products. For this, 5g of starch was mixed with 100 mL of distilled water along with 1 mL of glycerol as a plasticizer. The antimicrobial agent used was clove oil in a concentration of 0.5, 0.7 and 1 mL; a control sample was made in which no clove oil was added to differentiate the inhibition. The solution was heated and dried into the films. The bacterial strains were isolated from the gills of healthy tuna (Euthynnus affinis), and on conducting total plate counts, pure bacterial strains of Bacillus cereus were identified. The FTIR of the derived material was conducted. Resulted starch film was then cut into a 9 mm disc shape and incubated on plates of bacterial colonies at 36°C for 24 h. Significant inhibitory zones were seen, starch films (5 g/100 mL distilled water) with the concentrations of 0.5, 0.7, and 1.0 mL showed inhibition zones of 18.86±1.06, 16±0.81, and 18.66±0.94 mm against the bacteria. The FTIR analysis shows an association of eugenol and its derivative with the starch film. This film suggests an antibacterial property, and further studies have to be done.