Preparation and characterization of polyethylene antifogging film and its application in lettuce packaging

The low-density polyethylene (LDPE) antifogging films added with different concentrations (0%, 1%, 3%, 5%) of surfactants (Tween 80 and Coconutt Diethanol Amide, SF1) were developed and their properties were evaluated. The SEM results showed that SF was uniformly dispersed in the film. The water contact angle decreased from 80.13° for pure LDPE film to 11.13° for the film containing 5% SF, indicating that the film hydrophilicity was effectively improved. The films added with SF exhibited good antifogging effect and their antifogging duration increased with the increase of SF, which increased from 1 min to 216 h. The results of lettuce packaging application showed that the films containing SF could prevent fogging, have no negative effect on the appearance quality of lettuce throughout storage. It showed a great potential to be applied in the fruits and vegetables packaging.