Bio-Based Device to Control Active Compound Release for Food Preservation: The Case of Propionic Acid

This work was aimed at assessing the release of propionic acid as a repellent from reservoir-type release devices. Agar-based balls were developed and covered with various layers of biodegradable materials as polylactic acid (PLA), chitosan (CHIT), pectin (PEC) and gelatin (GEL), which are properly combined. The release kinetics of propionic acid from different bio-based devices was defined and trends of data were properly fitted. Results highlighted that developed systems allowed controlling the active compound release with different effectiveness. In particular, the device made with only PLA recorded the highest apparent permeability coefficient [6.28*10−5 (g*cm)/(cm2*day*hPA)]; the device with PLA/PEC recorded the lowest apparent permeability coefficient [1.50*10−5 (g*cm)/(cm2*day*hPA)] while the devices with PLA/CHIT and PLA/GEL exerted a similar behavior with an apparent permeability coefficient ranged between the two previous ones. Practical Applications: Considering that insect infestations are one of the main causes of loss of packed foodstuffs, the results of the current work could gain great attention from the industrial sector. The proposed solutions are effective not only in releasing an active compound that could control pest infestation but also in representing eco-friendly systems.