Effectiveness of Starch/Cinnamon Oil Film as Food Packaging with Antimicrobial Properties

In this study, starch/cinnamon oil film was prepared by solution casting method with different concentrations of cinnamon oil (MKM) to study the effect of cinnamon oil on the antimicrobial properties of starch film. The transparency of the films was reduced with the increment of MKM. The transparency of the film was found to decrease as the percentage of MKM content increased which prevented light penetration. Meanwhile, ATR-FTIR analysis showed neither shifting of peak positions nor new peak formation which showed that MKM and starch film were not chemically bound. The antimicrobial studies of the films on Bacillus cereus and Aspergillus niger recorded the improvement of antimicrob activities with the addition of MKM with the increase of inhibition zone. It was found that inhibition at the minimum MKM concentration increased from 16% in the starch film to a growth pattern in the zone of 24-44.2 mm in diameter with 28.23-37.88% and 34.12-52% increase in B. cereus and A. niger, respectively, compared to no inhibition zone for starch film without the addition of MKM. Morphological observations indicate pore formation and heterogeneous phase separation between MKM and starch. The maximum tensile strength of the film showed a decrease in tensile strength as the concentration of MKM increased despite not significant increase in MKM up to 24%. On the other hand, strain at break was found to increase by 102-252% in line with the addition of MKM acting as a plasticizing agent. In conclusion, starch/MKM films were successfully prepared and characterized. The physical and antimicrobial properties of the films displayed promising potential in food packaging application.