Engineering long-term antibacterial PLA packaging: Controlled release of thymol co-amorphous pairs via supercritical solvent impregnation

IF 8.6 2区工程技术 Q1 CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Journal of CO2 Utilization Pub Date : 2026-03-01 Epub Date: 2026-01-23 DOI:10.1016/j.jcou.2026.103341

Adrián Rojas , Irena Zizovic , Paulina Cheuquepan , Hans Lagos , Mariusz Nowak , Gonzalo Aguila , María Galotto , Ximena Valenzuela

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The rapid release of active compounds often limits the development of active food packaging with long-term antimicrobial effects. This study proposes an innovative and sustainable solution by integrating cocrystallization and supercritical fluid technologies to create a controlled-release system. Herein is investigated the impregnation of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) foams with thymol (THY) - phenazine (PHE) cocrystal pairs via supercritical solvent impregnation at 40 °C and 12–18 MPa, analyzing the impact of different isobaric cooling rates (0.3 and 1.5 °C/min) on particle deposition and release kinetics. Submicron THY-PHE co-amorphous pairs were successfully deposited within the PLA matrix, with particle size dependent on the cooling rate. These pairs exhibited significantly slower release kinetics than pure THY, with a release rate constant up to 12 times lower. Consequently, PLA foams loaded with THY-PHE pairs demonstrated prolonged antibacterial activity, completely inhibiting Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli for up to 192 h with concentrations three times lower than those required for pure THY. This work presents a robust, environmentally friendly, method for engineering advanced packaging materials with tailored, long-term release of active agents.

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工程长效抗菌PLA包装：超临界溶剂浸渍法控释百里香酚共无定形对

活性化合物的快速释放往往限制了具有长期抗菌作用的活性食品包装的发展。本研究提出了一种创新和可持续的解决方案，将共结晶和超临界流体技术相结合，创建一个控释系统。研究了百里香酚(THY) -苯那嗪（PHE）共晶对在40℃、12-18 MPa条件下的超临界溶剂浸渍法制备聚乳酸（PLA）泡沫，分析了不同等压冷却速率（0.3和1.5 ℃/min）对颗粒沉积和释放动力学的影响。亚微米THY-PHE共非晶对成功沉积在PLA基体中，其颗粒大小取决于冷却速度。这些药物对的释放动力学比纯THY慢得多，释放速率常数低12倍。因此，负载THY- phe对的PLA泡沫显示出持久的抗菌活性，完全抑制金黄色葡萄球菌和大肠杆菌高达192 h，浓度比纯THY所需的浓度低3倍。这项工作提出了一个强大的，环保的，工程先进的包装材料与定制的方法，长期释放活性剂。

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来源期刊

Journal of CO2 Utilization CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY-ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL

CiteScore

13.90

自引率

10.40%

发文量

406

审稿时长

2.8 months

期刊介绍： The Journal of CO2 Utilization offers a single, multi-disciplinary, scholarly platform for the exchange of novel research in the field of CO2 re-use for scientists and engineers in chemicals, fuels and materials. The emphasis is on the dissemination of leading-edge research from basic science to the development of new processes, technologies and applications. The Journal of CO2 Utilization publishes original peer-reviewed research papers, reviews, and short communications, including experimental and theoretical work, and analytical models and simulations.