Chitosan-Based Films Blended with Tannic Acid and Moringa Oleifera for Application in Food Packaging: The Preservation of Strawberries (Fragaria ananassa)

Abstract

Biobased plastics provide a sustainable alternative to conventional food packaging materials, thereby reducing the environmental impact. The present study investigated the effectiveness of chitosan with varying levels of Moringa oleifera seed powder (MOSP) and tannic acid (TA). Chitosan (CS) biocomposite films with tannic acid acted as a cross-linker, and Moringa oleifera seed powder served as reinforcement. To enhance food packaging and film performance, Moringa oleifera seed powder was introduced at various loadings of 1.0, 3.0, 5.0, and 10.0 wt.%. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy analyses were performed to study the structure and morphology of the CS/TA/MOSP films. The scanning electron microscopy results confirmed that chitosan/TA with 10.0 wt.% of MOSP produced a lightly miscible droplet/matrix structure. Furthermore, mechanical properties, swelling, water solubility, optical barrier, and water contact angle properties of the film were also calculated. With increasing Moringa oleifera seed powder contents, the biocomposite films’ antimicrobial and antifungal activity increased at the 10.0 wt.% MOSP level; all of the observed bacteria [Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Escherichia coli (E. coli), Aspergillus niger (A. niger), and Candida albicans (C. albicans)] had a notably increased percentage of growth. The film, with 10.0 wt.% MOSP content, effectively preserves strawberries’ freshness, making it an ideal food packaging material.

Eco-Friendly Poly (Butylene Adipate-co-Terephthalate) Coated Bi-Layered Films: An Approach to Enhance Mechanical and Barrier Properties

“…The direct use of paper in packaging is, however, limited by the following characteristics: (i) its hydrophilicity, which results in limited water resistance; (ii) low oil barrier characteristics; and (iii) environmentfriendly material for microorganisms, which increases the possibility of their development if paper arrives into direct contact with food items [12]. Biodegradable materials have been used as an alternative material due to their sustainability, degradability, and environmental friendliness [13][14][15][16][17]. Paper coated with polymers is a successful method to provide moisture and gas-tightness protection in food packaging.…”

Polyhedral Oligomeric Sesquioxane Cross-Linked Chitosan-Based Multi-Effective Aerogel Preparation and Its Water-Driven Recovery Mechanism

“…As one of the most abundant biomass materials, chitosan (CS) is rich in hydroxyl and amino groups, which can provide a large number of reaction sites [12], and is widely used in the preparation of biomass aerogels. CS-based materials are currently prevalent in various fields including wastewater treatment [13], antimicrobial activities [14,15], food preservation [16], sound absorption [17], reinforcement filler [18,19], drug delivery [20], oil spill cleanup [21,22], healing wounds [23,24], etc. However, due to the poor mechanical properties and unstable structure of biomass aerogels [25], CS-based aerogels have disadvantages.…”