Development of active PHB/PEG antimicrobial films incorporating clove essential oil

Abstract In this work were developed and evaluated new antimicrobial films of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) additivated with polyethyleneglycol (PEG) and clove essential oil (CEO). The PHB/PEG/CEO films were prepared using the solution casting technique. The CEO concentrations varied between 0.0 and 15% (w/w), related to the total mass (1.4 g), without considering the solvent used. The CG-MS analysis showed that the major component of the CEO was eugenol (72.96%). The antimicrobial activity from the CEO was evaluated against three bacteria (E. coli, E. aerogenes and S. aureus). The migration of CEO in the films occurred with all tested simulants. Thermal analysis has shown that the addition of 15% w/w of the CEO causes the biggest changes in the chemical structure of the material, resulting in less energy during film processing. The mechanical data demonstrated that the addition of 15% w/w of the CEO results in more flexible films.