Functionalization of agro-food waste fillers to develop antimicrobial green composites of interest in active food packaging

Abstract

The use of agro-food residues as fillers in polymer composites is gaining a significant attention due to their huge availability and low price, being also a highly sustainable strategy for waste valorization. The term “green composites” indicates that the material as a whole, i.e. both matrix and reinforcement, originates from renewable resources [1]. The use of cellulosic fillers also opens up novel opportunities for the development of antimicrobial materials by the adsorption of essential oils (EOs), i.e. aromatic and volatile oily liquids obtained from herbs and spices [2]. This process is based on the outstanding capacity of some cellulosic materials, such as porous particles and fibers, to retain polar components in their structure [3].