Fabrication and characterization of biomimetic plant cuticles from pullulan- graphene oxide (PU-GO) and beeswax- stearic acid (BW-SA) for Citrus Limon Rosso preservation

摘要

Inspired by the natural plant cuticles, a novel strategy was proposed for the fabrication of biomimetic plant cuticles from pullulan-graphene oxide (PU-GO) and beeswax-stearic acid (BW-SA), which could serve as hy-drophilic polysaccharides and hydrophobic waxes, respectively. PU-GO and PU-GO/BW-SA in different GO concentrations (0, 10, 30 and 50 mu g/mL) were prepared, and their structural characteristics and basic properties were investigated. Results showed that PU-GO/BW-SA possessed a hydrophilic layer and a hydrophobic structure similar to the structure of natural plant cuticles. The incorporation of GO enhanced the barrier properties of the films and PU-GO/BW-SA showed a higher contact angle, lower tensile strength and higher barrier properties compared with PU-GO. In addition, PU-GO/BW-SA in 10 mu g/mL GO concentration (PU-GO10/BW-SA) possessed the lowest WVP (7.2 x 10-7 g/(m h Pa)) and a contact angle (93.78 degrees) similar to natural plant cuticles. Appli-cations in Citrus Limon Rosso further proved the potential of PU-GO10/BW-SA as a biomimetic plant cuticle in fruit preservation.

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