INCORPORAÇÃO E BIOATIVIDADE DE ÓLEOS ESSENCIAIS DE SALVIA E SUCUPIRA EM FILMES BIODEGRADÁVEIS

Abstract

Society faces the challenge of accumulating plastic waste in the environment, especially microplastics, which are caused by the stability of polymers and the use of short-lived products. An alternative to this problem is biodegradable films made from organic materials, such as cassava starch, incorporated with essential oils from aromatic plants, which have rapid degradation in the environment and can be used in the active packaging production for food preservation. In this study, the objective was to produce biodegradable cassava starch films incorporated with sage (OESO) and sucupira essential oils (OEPE), as well as the combination between them, called MIX, evaluating the antifungal and antioxidant activities of them. The essential oils were extracted by hydrodistillation and identified by GC-MS. They were then incorporated into biodegradable films at different concentrations for physical and mechanical characterization. The antifungal and antioxidant activities of the essential oils were also evaluated through the inhibition of the mycelial growth of the fungus R. stolonifer and the DPPH radical scavenging. Chemical analyzes of the essential oils revealed the presence of distinct compounds where, the sage essential oil presented a chemical composition rich in monoterpenes and showed greater antifungal activity compared to the sucupira essential oil and MIX. The antioxidant activity of sage, sucupira and MIX essential oils was classified as very strong, moderate, and strong, respectively. The essential oils incorporation into biodegradable cassava starch films did not affect their macroscopic properties, such as continuity, homogeneity and flexibility, except for the 300 µL L-1 concentration, which caused its exclusion in subsequent tests. The tensile strength and puncture resistance of the films was influenced by the increase in the added essential oil concentrations, different from the elongation which did not undergo significant changes.