Evaluation of different parameters of zinc oxide nanoparticles on bionanocomposite film properties: a meta-analysis

Studies on biopolymer-based films incorporating ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) have been widely developed. However, results vary between studies, with some studies showing positive outcomes that may improve film properties and others showing opposite results. Moreover, the differences in the parameters of ZnO-NPs, such as shape, size, concentration level and synthesis method, can affect the properties of bionanocomposite films. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of different parameters of ZnO-NPs on the characteristics of bionanocomposite films through a meta-analysis. A database was developed from forty seven articles for the film characteristics such as water vapour permeability, tensile strength and elongation. The results showed that adding ZnO-NPs improved all the observed film characteristics significantly (P < 0.05) by using 1-100 nm ZnO synthesised commercially, physically or chemically with the rod morphology and the concentration level <8.4%. This study reveals that using ZnO-NPs with the appropriate parameters can produce the best film properties to extend the shelf life of food products.