Thermoplastic collagen fiber films improved by bacterial cellulose with high barrier properties.

Irradiated bacterial cellulose (mBC) was used to enhance the properties of collagen fiber (CF)-based food packaging films to gradually replace plastic packaging materials. The structural differences between bacterial cellulose (BC) and irradiated bacterial cellulose (mBC) were analyzed, and the heat sealing properties, mechanical properties and barrier properties of CF-mBC composite films were investigated and analyzed. FTIR and XPS results showed that CF and mBC mainly have hydrogen bonding and amide bond formation. The addition of mBC improved the thermal stability of the CF film and increased the heat seal performance, optical properties and mechanical properties from 1 N/15 mm to 8.53 N/15 mm, 82.45 % to 85.02 % and 44.54 MPa to 58.56 MPa, respectively. In addition, the good barrier property of this composite film makes it achieve grade 12 oil-proof under − 9 ℃ to 100 ℃ oil temperature. Therefore, mBC reinforced CF film has a broad application prospect in the food packaging field. • Irradiated bacterial cellulose active sites increased and crystallinity decreased. • Bacterial cellulose is used as a reinforcing agent to improve film properties. • The heat sealability of this bio-based film enhances its application value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]