Robust Cellulose/Carboxymethyl Chitosan Composite Films with High Transparency and Antibacterial Ability for Fresh Fruit Preservation

Abstract

The packaging of fresh foods is increasingly focusing on biodegradable composites made from natural resources. Environmental worries about traditional plastics can be reduced by developing robust, eco-friendly biocomposites. Here, carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) was co-solubilized with cellulose to successfully fabricate highly transparent, sturdy composite films (CSCs). All composite films exhibited better thermal stability, high transparency, and robust mechanical strength due to physical cross-linking and hydrogen bonds between homogeneously dispersed CMCS and cellulose molecules. Particularly, compared to CSC-0, the tensile strength and elongation at break of CSC-3 were increased by 68.8 and 23.2%, respectively. Additionally, CSCs showed excellent barrier capacity and good antibacterial ability for suitable food packaging materials. These CSCs with excellent properties can be used to package fruit to reduce water loss from the fruit and increase its shelf life.

Incorporating of Oxidized Cellulose Nanofibers@d-Limonene Pickering Emulsion into Chitosan for Fully Biobased Coatings toward Fruits Protection

“…Food packaging needs to be antibacterial as it is susceptible to spoilage caused by microbial growth or contamination during storage. , First, the disk diffusion (inhibition zone) assay was utilized to evaluate the antibacterial activity of the films against E. coli and S. aureus. It can be observed from Figure a that the CFL-0 film of E. coli and S. aureus bacteria did not show any inhibitory zones, while the films of CFL-1, CFL-2, CFL-3, and CFL-4 containing d -Limonene exhibited distinct bacteriostatic zones.…”

Recent Advances in Functional Cellulose-based Films with Antimicrobial and Antioxidant Properties for Food Packaging

“…Chitosan is among the natural polymers with antimicrobial activity due to the presence of amino groups in its structure . Co-dissolution of cotton staple fiber and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) in aqueous solution of ZnCl 2 and then casting the solution afforded hybrid films with improved thermal stability, mechanical strength, and antibacterial activity . Films with 10:3 ratio of cotton:CMCS showed 69 and 23% enhancement in tensile strength and elongation at break compared to neat cellulose films.…”

Self-Reinforced and Antibacterial Zn2+ @Vanillin/Carboxymethyl Chitosan Film for Food Packaging

“…For instance, Liao et al prepared carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS)/cellulose films with high transparency and barrier properties for encapsulating fruits and extending their shelf life. Furthermore, Wu et al prepared polysaccharide-based food packaging materials with UV shielding and broad-spectrum antibacterial properties by using cellulose/starch and adding carboxymethyl cellulose-modified graphene oxide, which can effectively extend the packaging duration of food. This is because polysaccharide-based food packaging materials can limit carbon dioxide and water exchange, which reduces the respiratory intensity, transpiration, and weight loss of fruits and vegetables, extending their shelf life. – However, the poor mechanical properties of films made from natural polysaccharides limited their development in the field of preservation. , To improve the performance of polysaccharide-based films, it is highly important to search for suitable cross-linkers while preparing green, safe, and sustainable food packaging.…”