Characterizations and preservative effect of anti-fogging films prepared with nano-TiO2

Abstract: To prolong the shelf life of fruits and vegetables, an anti-fogging film composed of anti-fogging agents (span-20 and tween-20) and nano-TiO2 was prepared. Its structural properties and anti-fogging performance such as optical property, anti-fogging property, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), contact angle (CA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were all determined and compared with the contrast films. The results showed P-ST film and P-ST-TiO2 film both had good anti-fogging property, but the anti-fogging property of P-ST-TiO2 film was much more stable and efficient. The P-ST-TiO2 film had the lowest CA, which was 12.5(, while its WVTR was the highest with a value of 4.871 g/(m2·d). With the addition of nano-TiO2, P-TiO2 film and P-ST-TiO2 film were possessed of UV-light barrier property. Strawberry preservation indicated the P-ST-TiO2 film could prolong the shelf life of strawberries at room temperature for a week. This study suggests that P-ST-TiO2 film, as an anti-fogging packaging material, has shown the potential to prolong the shelf life of fruits and vegetables.