• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.877-883
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• 2003

Multi-degradable master hatch (M/B) was prepared and 0.05 mm polyethylene (PP) food packaging films containing 0, 10, and 20% M/B were manufactured by inflation film processing. The films were exposed to UV radiation, fungi, and heat in order to observe their photolysis, biodegradability, and thermal degradability, respectively. While pure PP film maintained more than 70% of its original elongation after 8 weeks of UV radiation, an almost perfect loss in the elongation of PP film containing 20% M/B was observed. Significant decreases in elongation of PP films by heat treatment $(68{\pm}2^{\circ}C)$ were also found in samples containing the multi-degradable M/B. By observing changes in film surface after the inoculation of fungi using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the biodegradability of plastic film could be accelerated with the addition of multi-degradable M/B. The results of the mulching test in yard showed that adding multi-degradable M/B can effectively degrade plastic films in natural environmental conditions without interrupting the growth of plants.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.5-12
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• 2006

Degradation performance of environmentally friendly plastics that can be disintegrated by combination of sunlight, microbes in soil, and heat produced in landfills was evaluated for use in industries. Two multi-degradable master batches (MCC-101 and MCC-102 were manufactured, separately mixed with polyethylene using film molding machine to produce 0.025 mm thick films, and exposed to sunlight, microbes, and heat. Low- and high-density polyethylene (LDPE and HDPE) films containing MCC-101 and MCC-102 became unfunctional by increasing severe cleavage at the surface and showed high reduction in elongation after 40 days of exposure to ultraviolet light. LDPE and HDPE films showed significant physical degradation after 100 and 120 days, respectively, of incubation at $68{\pm}2^{\circ}C$. SEM images of films cultured in mixed mold spore suspension at $30^{\circ}C$ and 85% humidity for 30 days revealed accelerated biodegradation on film surfaces by the action of microbes. LDPE films containing MCC-l01 showed absorption of carbonyls, photo-sensitive sites, at $1710\;cm${-1}$ when exposed to light for 40 days, whereas those not exposed to ultraviolet light showed no absorption at the same frequency. MCC-101-based LDPE films showed much lower $M_w$ distribution after exposure to UV than its counterpart, due to agents accelerating photo-degradation contained in MCC-101.