The effect of active film containing nano clay halloysite/carvacrol hybrid and chitosan on the growth of pathogenic fungi

Use of nanoparticles in food packaging can be an effective step to reduce waste from pathogens and increase the shelf life of various products. The aim of this study was to investigate the antifungal effect of low-density polyethylene nanocomposite film containing nano clay halloysite/carvacrol hybrid and chitosan on pathogenic fungi including Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Boterytis cinera, Penicillium Sp. and Rhizopus oryzae, the main cause of post-harvest rot of agricultural products. In this study, the nanocomposite films based on Low-density polyethylene containing 1.5 & 3% nano clay halloysite/carvacrol and 1 & 2% chitosan were produced by mixing them in a twin-screw extruder following by blowing film machine. The effect of these produced nanocomposites were then evaluated on the growth of five pathogenic fungal species. Based on the results of analysis of variance, it was found that the growth rate of the five studied fungal species was significantly affected by use of Nano clay Halloysite/carvacrol, so that the highest percentage of inhibition was related to the film containing 3% nano clay halloysite/carvacrol. However, the film containing chitosan had no significant effect on the growth of the studied fungi.