Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Food Science and Technology logoLink to Journal of Food Science and Technology
. 2022 Feb 16;60(3):938–946. doi: 10.1007/s13197-021-05333-9

Enhanced antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of Nano chitosan and pectin based biodegradable active packaging films incorporated with fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) essential oil and potato (Solanum tuberosum) peel extracts

Ameya S Sadadekar 1, Ramesh Shruthy 1, R Preetha 1,✉, Navneeth Kumar 1, Kaushal Rajesh Pande 1, G Nagamaniammai 1
PMCID: PMC9998760  PMID: 36908350

Abstract

Active packaging materials are generally prepared by incorporating antimicrobial agents. The main objective of the present research is the development and characterization of active packaging with Nano chitosan and pectin. Active packaging film was prepared by incorporating essential oil of Fennel (EOF) along with potato peel extract (PPE) to improve the antioxidant and antimicrobial property of the film. Incorporation of EOF into Nano chitosan and pectin-based films increased antimicrobial activity, whereas; PPE increased the antioxidant property of the films. In the present study, thickness, optical property, mechanical property, antioxidant and antimicrobial property, total soluble matter, morphological study, FTIR analysis, and microbial degradation study of the prepared active packaging material was done. The addition of the PPE and EOF together improved the surface, optical, mechanical, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of the packaging film. Enhanced antimicrobial and antioxidant property of the Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF and pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF-based packaging films can extend the shelf life of the packed food; hence it is suggested for the active packaging for perishable food commodity. In short, the prepared active packaging film with biodegradable property is suggested as an effective packaging material to replace synthetic plastic packages for food and hence reduce plastic pollution.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s13197-021-05333-9.

Keywords: Potato peel extract, Biodegradable film, Essential oil, Active packaging, Nano chitosan, Pectin

Introduction

The shelf life extension of the food items is very important and here the active packaging plays an important role. The fundamental need for packaging is to maintain safety and quality by preventing harmful biochemical changes in food commodities (Verma et al. 2021). Active packaging mainly acts as a barrier against carbon dioxide/oxygen, efficient antimicrobial, and antioxidant property (Ramesh and Radhakrishnan 2020). Active packaging materials were reported by incorporating natural antioxidant agents and antimicrobial agents (chitosan, plant extracts and essential oils). Many studies described the advantages of active packaging over normal packaging. Advantages includes its non-toxic nature, biodegradability and, improved optical, mechanical, and thermal properties (Shruthy et al. 2020; Mohammadi Nafchi et al. 2017).

After cellulose, Chitin is the second most common natural biopolymer on the earth. Chitosan is a natural/organic polymer derived from chitin by the process of deacetylation. The major sources of chitin are crustacean shells such as crawfish, shrimp, and crabs (Shruthy et al. 2020). Chitosan is a cationic polysaccharide with high molecular weight, which exhibits antifungal activity, antibacterial property, and film-forming ability (Shruthy and Preetha 2019). Chitosan is difficult to dissolve in the usual solvents. However, it can be soluble in an acidic aqueous medium (Srinivasa and Tharanathan 2007). It is one of the best biopolymer suggested to use as binding agents for the preparation of biodegradable packaging (Shruthy and Preetha 2019). The important properties of the chitosan-based film/packaging material are its non-toxic nature, biodegradability, antimicrobial property, and barrier property against oxygen/carbon dioxide (Rinaudo 2006; Srinivasa and Tharanathan 2007). Many studies have already reported the antifungal and antimicrobial/bacterial property of the chitosan and its biodegradability (Shruthy and Preetha 2019). The study of Abdeltwab (2019) reported that chitosan nanoparticles have maximum antimicrobial property against spoilage microbes/pathogens and fungus. In another study it was reported that chitosan films have an excellent oxygen barrier (Caner et al. 2006). However, the hydrophilic nature of the chitosan film leads to poor moisture barrier property (Jancy et al. 2020). In the present study, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is used as the binding materials along with chitosan to prepare the packaging films. PVA is a synthetic, biodegradable and non-toxic polymer with efficient mechanical and optical properties (Jancy et al. 2020). Biodegradability, non-toxic nature, low cost and efficient film-forming ability are the main advantage of PVA-based food packaging (Shruthy et al. 2020). Moreover, it was reported that PVA-based film can improve thermal and gas barrier properties; hence it is a better choice for the development of food packaging film (Ramesh and Radhakrishnan 2020).

Pectin is obtained from plants (from the plant part called middle lamella), a complex polymer. It is used as an ingredient for gelling in the food industry. The food items processed using pectin are jam, jelly, marmalade, candies, and so on Mendes et al. (2020). The gelling property is due to the presence of ester groups, and low methoxy pectin shows lesser esterification. Sometimes the gelation by pectin gets delayed due to amidation. Generally, pectin is used as crystallization inhibitors, thickening agents, encapsulating agents, gelling agents, and stabilizers in the food industry (Dash et al. 2019).

Foeniculum vulgare Mill belongs to the family Apiales and Foeniculum genus, commonly used as a spice for culinary and medicine. The major benefit of fennel is that it can be used for the treatment for respiratory issues, gastrointestinal disorders and as a lactagogue/diuretic. The major component of fennel includes phenolic glycosides, phenols, volatile aroma compounds such as estragole, fenchone phytoconstituents with anise odor, and trans-anethole (Ahmed et al. 2019). Fennel is having its nutritional profile of fiber (18.5%), protein (9.5%), minerals (13.4%), carbohydrates (42.3%), and fat (10%). The essential oil of fennel (EOF) is also reported for its excellent antimicrobial property, antioxidant property, and hepato-protective activity (Ahmed et al. 2019). Many researchers reported the addition of the essential oil could inhibit the growth of the microbes. According to the study of Jancy et al. (2020) the incorporation of the essential oil of fennel (EOF) into the packaging film can reduce microbial growth The application of the essential oil is applied for the film formulation provides “enhanced overlapping benefits” (Gulfraz et al. 2008).

Potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) is rich in carbohydrates and is an agricultural crop commonly used for consumption by humans (Haftom et al. 2020). During processing, potatoes are peeled, and on an average 15–14% of its total weight will be removed as potato peel waste (PPW) based upon the type of pealing method. The abrasion peeling is following in many potato processing industries, and in this method PPW will be in enormous quantity. In our previous study the PPW (Potato peel waste) had been used as raw material for the development of nano cellulose for the preparation of active packaging material (Shruthy and Preetha 2019). Due to the major concern of piling up PPW, it has been considered a raw material for the production of enzymes α-amylase, which is a thermostable, act as starch hydrolyzing enzyme in various food industries (Haftom et al. 2020). Haftom et al. (2020), reported that the edible film incorporated with potato peel extract improves its antimicrobial and antioxidant property. The above said property is due to the presence of the phenols in PPE. The phenolic compound in PPE can act against oxidation of fat and also inhibit bacterial growth. The above information’s prompted us to incorporate PPE in packaging film. In the present study, Nano chitosan-Polyvinyl Alcohol-EOF based film, Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF based film, pectin-PVA-EOF based film, and pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF based packaging were developed. The mechanical property, antioxidant and antimicrobial property, total soluble matter, optical property, and microbial degradation study of the prepared active packaging materials were compared and evaluated.

Materials and methods

Materials

Chitosan, pectin, acetic acid, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), sodium hydroxide, sodium chlorite, glacial acetic acid, and nitric acid were procured from Southern India scientific corporation, Chennai, India. EOF was purchased from Vedan health Care (Navi Mumbai, India). It was then kept in a non-commercial refrigerator for further use.

Preparation of PPE

30 gms of dried potato peel powder was added to 100 ml of 2% NaOH (Sodium hydroxide). The solution was kept on a magnetic stirrer for continuous stirring at 60 °C for about two hours. The solution was then filtered, and the peels were dried. The dried peels were then subjected to bleaching; 100 ml of 1% of Sodium chloride and 10 drops of glacial acetic acid was added. The solution was then kept on a magnetic stirrer for continuous stirring at 60 °C for two hours. After bleaching, the filtered potato peels were added to 20 ml of 65% Nitric acid and stirred for two hours, followed by filtration (Haftom et al. 2020). The obtained suspension from the potato peels was used for the preparation active packaging.

Preparation of films

Films were made by using Nano chitosan, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), EOF, and pectin. The ionic gelation method was followed to prepare the Nano chitosan particles (Desai 2016).

For the preparation of the Nano chitosan-PVA-EOF based film, initially 5% PVA was melted at 70 °C for 1 h in order to make it warmth. Followed by the addition of the 4% Nano chitosan and 1 ml of EOF to the PVA solution, and then mixed thoroughly. Later on, the film-forming solution was casted on a petri dish, followed by drying at ambient temperature and then film was peeled off. The Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF based film was prepared by using 2% Nano chitosan, 2% PPE, 5% PVA, and 1 ml of EOF. In the case of pectin-PVA-EOF-based film, 4% pectin, 5% PVA, and 1 ml of EOF was used for the preparation of the film-forming solution. For the pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF-based film preparation, 2% pectin, 2% PPE, 5% PVA, and 1 ml of EOF was used. The concentrations were fixed based on previous reports (Shruthy and Preetha 2019; Ramesh and Radhakrishnan 2020).

Thickness and mechanical properties of the films

The thicknesses of the films were analyzed by using a vernier caliper (Long absolute digimatic caliper 500 series, Mituyoyo, Japan). The thickness of the films was assessed in triplicates and the mean values were calculated.

Mechanical properties such as tensile strength and elongation property of the film samples were measured using a digital tensile strength tester (Model: 25TKGEC2500/S.No:2012/43/; BIE Pvt. ltd.). The films were cut in to dimension of 0.7 × 5.0 cm strips and followed by sticking both the ends by using hard paper and then the film samples were fixed by using the clamps. After that, the (mechanical property) elongation property and tensile strength was analyzed as reported earlier (Jancy et al. 2020). The analysis was done in triplicates.

The color and the optical property of the films

ColourQuest XE (A60 1011 610, Hunter associates Laboratory, Virginia, United States of America) was used to measure the color of the film samples. Films were cut in the dimension of 5 cm × 5 cm, five replications were analyzed for each film, and the results were calculated in terms of mean values as described by Namratha et al. (2020).

Opacity measurement was done based upon the study conducted by Wang et al. (2013). Films were cut into small rectangular pieces and inserted in the spectroscopic cuvette for the measurement, and an empty cuvette is used as blank. Then the opacity of the film was measured at an absorbance of 600 nm with the help of UV spectrophotometer (V-730 UV-visible/NIR spectrophotometer, USA) (Shruthy et al. 2020).

Antioxidant property of the film

The free radical scavenging assay was done by using 2, 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) method with slight modification (Shruthy et al. 2020). 3 ml of film-forming solutions were used to mix with 1 ml of 1 mM of methanol-DPPH solution (Sisco Research Laboratories Pvt. Ltd, Andheri, India.). The obtained mixture was then vortexed and kept for thirty minutes in the absence of light at ambient temperature (37 °C). Then the spectrophotometer was used to measure the absorbance at 517 nm. The readings were measured in five replications, and the average mean values were noted (Jancy et al. 2020; Deshwal and Panjagari 2020).

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM)

The SEM analysis of Nano chitosan-PVA-EOF, Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF, pectin-PVA-EOF, and pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF based films were carried out using a Tescan scanning electron microscope (VEGA 3 SBU model, Czech Republic). The samples were scanned for 5 kx and 10 kx. Scanning electron microscope helps in identifying the surface morphology of the films by providing images with high zooming power.

FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectra) analysis of the Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF and pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF based films

Fourier transform infrared spectra (Agilent's Cary 660/670 Fourier transform infrared spectrometers, Santa Clara, United States of America) were performed to confirm the incorporation/presence of the PPE and EOF in Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF and pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF based films. Potassium bromide pellet method was followed for the preparation of the sample. Fourier transform infrared spectra were collected/possessed in transmission mode ranging from 500 to 4000 cm −1 with 4 cm−1 spectral resolution.

Antimicrobial activity of the films

Foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella typhi (ATCC 6539), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213) Shigellaflexneri (ATCC 12022), and Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922) were used for the antimicrobial/bacterial study of the films. Zone of inhibition was analyzing the effectiveness of an antimicrobial agent against the growth of microbes/bacteria in culture by Kirby–Bauer disk-diffusion method described in Preetha et al. (2007, 2015). The discs were prepared from the film and placed over the spread platted cultures. Tetracycline (30 mg) antibiotic disc was used as the positive control. Muller Hinton agar was used for making plats and after placing discs, the casted plates were kept at 37 °C for 24 h. Thereafter, the inhibited zone was recorded by using vernier caliper (Long absolute digimatic caliper 500 series, Mituyoyo, Japan).

Microbial degradation study of the films

Pseudomonas putida culture with high potential of degrading inorganic matter was used for the microbial degradation study of the films. The films were cut in 2 cm × 2 cm, and the weight of each film was noted. The film samples were placed in the test tubes containing 9 ml of saline water and 2 ml of Pseudomonas putida culture. The samples were taken out every day and dried in a hot air oven at 45 °C for two hours, and the weight was taken. The samples were then again introduced in to fresh 9 ml of saline and 2 ml of fresh Pseudomonas putida culture. This procedure was repeated till the film gets completely degraded. The weight was noted every day for each film till the films get completely degraded.

Results and discussion

Thickness and mechanical properties of the films

The thickness of the film was analyzed in triplicates after two successful trials. The thickness of the film was within the range of 0.085–0.097 mm Table 1. The results infer that there is no significant change in thickness for the films prepared (Jancy et al. 2020).

Table 1.

Thickness and mechanical property of Nano chitosan-EOF-PVA, Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF and pectin-EOF-PVA and pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF based films

Sample Thickness (mm) Tensile strength (MPa) Elongation (%)
Chitosan control 0.097 ± 0.009 2.34 ± 0.56 47.2
Nano chitosan-EOF-PVA 0.092 ± 0.025 2.56 ± 0.34 48.4
Nano chitosan-PPE-EOF-PVA 0.085 ± 0.030 2.88 ± 0.2 54.5
Pectin control 0.087 ± 0.020 1.98 ± 0.77 56
Pectin-EOF-PVA 0.085 ± 0.020 2.12 ± 0.73 49.8
Pectin-PPE-EOF-PVA 0.09 ± 0.020 2.43 ± 0.65 68.3
Open in a new tab

Digital tensile strength tester was used to evaluate the elongation property and tensile strength of the prepared films. It was analyzed that the samples infused/incorporated with PPE and EOF showed better tensile strength than the rest of the films.

Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF and pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF based films showed higher tensile values compared with the control films. Compared to Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF and pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF, Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF showed increased tensile strength of 2.88 MPa is shown in in Table 1. According to the study of Priyadarshi et al. (2018), the chitosan-apricot kernel essential oil-based film improved the mechanical property up to 98%. In the present study, the Nano chitosan-based film shows increased tensile strength. In the study of Lorevice et al. (2016) it was described that the addition of the chitosan nano particle with the polymer matrix can improve the mechanical property, in the present study also the mechanical property is increased in the case of chitosan nano particle incorporated films. Overall, it can be concluded that the incorporation of chitosan nano particle and potato peel extract along with PVA matrix can improves the tensile strength/mechanical property (Supplementary data Fig. 1).

Color and opacity of the films

Colour Quest XE was used to measure the color of the films (A60 1011 610, Hunter associates Laboratory, Virginia, United states of America). a* denotes greenness (−) or redness (+), L* represents lightness (0–100 scale) from black to white, and b* denotes yellowness (+) or blueness (−). dE indicates the “distance” between two colors. The equipment was calibrated using a white tile, and the samples were measured in three replicates; and the results are showed in Table 2. It can be inferred that the incorporation of the EOF decreases the transparency of the film. The chitosan and pectin control films show the lightness of 46.87 ± 0.02 and 44.91 ± 0.03, respectively. Compared to control films, the EOF incorporated films showed lesser transparency. In a previous report, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose-chitosan based film also shows less transparency due to the addition of essential oils Sanchez-Gonzalez et al. 2011).

Table 2.

Colour and opacity measurements of Nano chitosan-EOF-PVA, Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF and pectin-EOF-PVA and pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF based films

SAMPLE L* a* b* dE Opacity
Chitosan control 46.87 ± 0.02 2.49 ± 0.02 14.12 ± 0.03 48.89 ± 0.02 7.34 ± 0.12
Nano chitosan-EOF-PVA 52.23 ± 0.01 1.01 ± 0.03 12.95 ± 0.03 43.34 ± 0.01 10.67 ± 0.03
Nano chitosan-PPE-EOF-PVA 44.92 ± 0.01 1.19 ± 0.02 14.28 ± 0.01 50.74 ± 0.01 6.66 ± 0.01
Pectin control 44.91 ± 0.03 0.17 ± 0.05 2.54 ± 0.02 49.54 ± 0.01 5.93 ± 0.01
Pectin-EOF-PVA 45.51 ± 0.06 0.15 ± 0.03 1.85 ± 0.03 48.48 ± 0.02 7.56 ± 0.02
Pectin-PPE-EOF-PVA 45.9 ± 0.03 0.02 ± 0.01 2.66 ± 0.02 48.13 ± 0.03 3.32 ± 0.03
Open in a new tab

The opacity measurement shows the transmittance of the light through the surface; increased opacity refers to decreased transparency of the film (Shruthy and Preetha 2019). Table 2 shows that the films incorporated with PPE (Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF: 6.66 ± 0.01 and pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF based films: 3.32 ± 0.03) have less opacity as compared to the control and films incorporated with fennel seed oil. Hence, the result infers that the incorporation of EOF increases the opacity of the films. The pectin-PVA-based film incorporated with EOF and PPE showed the least opacity (3.32 ± 0.03), showing higher transparency among all the films prepared.

Antioxidant properties of the films

The antioxidant properties of the films were analyzed by using the DPPH scavenging assay. The results signified that the incorporation of the EOF and PPE increased the scavenging activity of the films. Essential oils are known for their efficiency towards antioxidant/antimicrobial property. According to the FDA, the essential oil is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) and can be incorporated in food items. The high phenolic content in the essential oil has enhanced free radicle scavenging activity of the packaging film (Shruthy and Preetha 2019). The present study shows an improved antioxidant property of the packaging film incorporated with essential oils, hence it is suggested for the packaging of perishable food items for better shelf life. Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF and pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF-based films showed the highest scavenging effect of 33.34% and 35.5%, respectively. By comparing the study of PPW cellulose nano particle-PVA-fennel seed oil-based film (Enayat and Banerjee 2009; Shruthy and Preetha 2019), the present study shows an efficient antioxidant property, which is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1.

Fig. 1

Open in a new tab

Antioxidant acticity of different packaging films

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the Nano chitosan-EOF-PVA, Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF and pectin-EOF-PVA and pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF based films

The SEM analysis of the chitosan and pectin-based films were examined using a Tescan scanning electron microscope (VEGA 3 SBU model, Czech Republic). The samples were scanned for 5kx and 10kx. It was observed that the Nano chitosan-EOF-PVA and Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF Fig. 2a, b showed white cloudy appearance, which can be assumed that the incorporated PPE and EOF were not evenly dispersed throughout the films because of the thick consistency of Nano chitosan. Whereas in the case of pectin-EOF-PVA and pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF based film Fig. 2c, d shows even dispersion of the PPE and EOF. It might be due to the consistency of the pectin such as swelling behavior, poly-L-lysine binding for the formation of gel network, and gel stiffness (Marudova et al. 2004).

Fig. 2.

Fig. 2

Open in a new tab

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of the a Nano chitosan-EOF-PVA, b Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF and c pectin-EOF-PVA and d pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF based films

FTIR analysis of the Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF and pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF based films

Fourier transform infrared spectra was used to confirm the incorporation of EOF and PPE in the film. The FTIR spectra for Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF and pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF based films are given in Fig. 3. According to the study of Mimica-Dukic et al. (2003), the major compounds identified in the Fennel seed oil are fenchone (11.32%), estragole (5.29%), trans-anethole (74.18%), α-pinene (2.77%), and limonene (2.53%). Five major compounds sum up the composition of Fennel Oil; out of the five compounds, α Pinene, Limoline, and α-Phellandrene have an Alkene functional group. Methyl Caviol has an ether functional group, and Fenchone has a Ketone group. 3% Essential oil incorporation showed prominent peaks for the functional group. The peak C=C group was found in the range of 1610–1680 cm−1, referring to α Pinene, Limoline, and α-Phellandrene in the film as the major compounds. The polyphenolic compounds are present in the PPE with an antioxidation activity, of which phenolics are caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, p-coumaric acid, vanillic acid, ferulic acid, and salicylic acid. Singh and Rajini (2004). Overall, the FTIR study confirms the presence of the PPE and EOF as antimicrobial/bacterial and antioxidant agents in the prepared films.

Fig. 3.

Fig. 3

Open in a new tab

FTIR spectra of the Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF and pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF based films

Antimicrobial activity of the films

Food-borne pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213), Shigellaflexneri (ATCC 12022), Salmonella typhi (ATCC 6539) and Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), are the strains used for the antimicrobial property determination. Tetracycline (30 mg) antibiotic disc was used as the positive control and a well-defined zone of inhibition was obtained for the pathogens. Effects of EOF and PPE show efficient antimicrobial properties for prepared films as shown in Table 3. The antimicrobial agent such as EOF and PPE diffuses through the agar gel and results clear zone around the film disks. Chitosan and pectin control film showed a decreased zone of inhibition for the bacterial strains. However, the Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF and pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF-based films showed a maximum zone of inhibition. In the present study, the prepared films showed a better zone of inhibition for Escherichia coli. In a previous study of potato peel nano particle-Chitosan nanoparticle-PVA—fennel seed oil-based film also reported the strong inhibitory potential against Escherichia coli (Shruthy and Preetha 2019; Bustos et al. 2015).

Table 3.

Antimicrobial property of Nano chitosan-EOF-PVA, Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF and pectin-EOF-PVA and pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF based films

Samples Chitosan control Pectin control Nano chitosan EOF-PVA Pectin EOF-PVA Nano chitosan PPE-EOF-PVA Pectin PPE-EOF-PVA
Escheria Coli 2.32 ± 0.23 1.34 ± 0.34 3.12 ± 0.25 3.56 ± 0.54 3.87 ± 0.33 3.98 ± 0.32
Shigella flexeri 2.12 ± 0.09 3.1 ± 0.45 3.56 ± 0.21 4.8 ± 0.01 2.99 ± 0.02 4.89 ± 0.34
Staphylococcus aureus 0.19 ± 0.04 1.2 ± 0.09 2.54 ± 0.20 2.33 ± 0.21\ 3.22 ± 0.76 2.34 ± 0.2
Salmonella typhi 1.23 ± 0.10 1.44 ± 0.15 2.36 ± 0.23 1.99 ± 0.2 1.82 ± 0.09 3.9 ± 0.54
Open in a new tab

Microbial degradation of the films

The microbial degradation study of the films was carried using the Pseudomonas putida. All the films except control film were degraded completely, leaving no residue in the time of six days span. The pectin-based film incorporated with EOF and PPE degraded within two days with superior degradation rate (98% weight loss), on third day it was completely degraded. Pectin-EOF-PVA and Pectin-PPE-EOF-PVA shows degradation rate of 90% and 98% respectively. The higher degradation rate of pectin-based film is mainly due to its hydrolytic property of the pectin and PVA (Pathak and Navneet 2017). Whereas, chitosan control and pectin control film took about six-seven days to get completely degrade by Pseudomonas putida. In the case of Nano chitosan-EOF-PVA and Nano chitosan-PPE-EOF-PVA based film, on 5th day weight loss was 73% and 81.63% respectively. In short, the results infer that the prepared biodegradable active packaging for food can be efficiently use for replacing synthetic plastic film for packaging.

Conclusion

In this study, the incorporation of PPE and EOF enhanced antioxidant and antimicrobial activity for the Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF and pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF-based film. The characteristics analysis showed efficient mechanical and optical property of the developed film. Microbial degradation study highlights the ecofriendly nature of the film, and it was degraded completely within two days by Pseudomonas putida. Overall, the study infers unique and improved properties for Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF and pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF packaging film compared with control film. The Nano chitosan-PPE-PVA-EOF based film, it showed improved mechanical property than pectin-PPE-PVA-EOF based film. The prepared films were substantially employed for the active packaging of fresh food items to enhance shelf life and which will also revolutionize the food packaging sector by reducing synthetic plastic pollution.

Supplementary Information

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 77 kb) (77.1KB, docx)

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledged SRM Central Instrumentation Facility SRM Institute of Science and Technology and School of Bioengineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST) for providing analysis facilities. We express our thanks to Prof. C. Muthamizchelvan, V.C., SRM Institute of Science and Technology and Dr. M. Vairamani, Chairperson, School of Bioengineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology for cordial support. We also extend our sincere thanks to SRM IST for the selective excellence funding for the project support.

Biological, chemical and microbiological

ATCC

American type culture collection

DPPH

2, 2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl

EOF

Essential oil of fennel

NaOH

Sodium hydroxide

PPE

Potato peel extract

PVA

Polyvinyl alcohol

Instrumental techniques

FTIR

Fourier transform infrared spectra

SEM

Scanning electron microscope

Author’s contributions

Ameya S. Sadadekar carried out the experiments, and wrote the manuscript, Navneeth Kumar and Kaushal Rajesh Pande carried out preliminary study for this work. R. Preetha designed, executed and supervised the work, Ramesh Shruthy, R. Preetha and G. Nagamaniammai edited the manuscript.

Funding

No external funding is applicable for the work. Only SRM Institute of Science and Technology Selective excellence funding was utilized for the project as mentioned in the acknowledgement.

Availability of data and material

The research data is not shared.

Data availability

The research data are not shared.

Declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

Ethical approval is not required for this research.

Consent for publication

This is an original work being done and it is not being submitted to any other journals for publication. The data provided including figures and table can be used for publishing in JFST and they are not being provided to any other journals.

Footnotes

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

References

  1. Abdeltwab WM, Fathy Y, Azab W, Azab MEW. Antimicrobial effect of chitosan and Nano chitosan against some pathogens and spoilage microorganisms. J Adv Lab Res. 2019;10(3):8–15. [Google Scholar]
  2. Ahmed AF, Shi M, Liu C, Kang W. Comparative analysis of antioxidant activities of essential oils and extracts of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare Mill.) seeds from Egypt and China. Food Sci Hum Wellness. 2019;8(1):67–72. doi: 10.1016/j.fshw.2019.03.004. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  3. Bustos C RO, Alberti R FV, Matiacevich SB. Edible antimicrobial films based on microencapsulated lemongrass oil. J Food Sci Technol. 2015;53(1):832–839. doi: 10.1007/s13197-015-2027-5. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Caner C, Vergano PJ, Wiles JL. Chitosan film mechanical and permeation properties as affected by acid, plasticizer, and storage. J Food Sci. 2006;63(6):1049–1053. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2621.1998.tb15852.x. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dash KK, Ali NA, Das D, Mohanta D. Thorough evaluation of sweet potato starch and lemon-waste pectin based edible film with nano-titania inclusion for the food packaging applications. Int J Biol Macromol. 2019;134(1):449–458. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.07.193. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Desai KG. Chitosan nanoparticle prepared by inotropic gelation: an overview of recent advances. Crit Rev Ther Drug Sys. 2016;33(8):107–158. doi: 10.1615/CritRevTherDrugCarrierSyst.2016014850. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Deshwal G, Panjagari N. Review on metal packaging: materials, forms, food applications, safety and recyclability. J Food Sci Technol. 2020;57:2377–2392. doi: 10.1007/s13197-019-04172-z. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Enayat S, Banerjee S. Comparative antioxidant activity of extracts from leaves, bark and catkins of Salix aegyptiaca sp. Food Chem. 2009;116(1):23–28. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2009.01.092. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  9. Gulfraz M, Mehmood S, Minhas N, Jabeen N, Kausar R, Jabeen K, Arshad G. Composition and antimicrobial properties of essential oil of Foeniculum vulgare. Afr J Biotechnolgy. 2008;74(9):364–4368. [Google Scholar]
  10. Haftom Y, Gebrechristos XM, Xiao F, He Y, Zheng S, Oyungerel G, Chen W. Potato peel extract as an antimicrobial and potential antioxidant in active edible film. Food Sci Nutr. 2020;8(12):6338–6345. doi: 10.1002/fsn3.1119. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Jancy S, Shruthy R, Preetha R. Fabrication of packaging film reinforced with cellulose nanoparticles synthesized from jackfruit non-edible part using response surface methodology. Int J Biol Macromol. 2020;14(1):263–272. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.09.066. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Lorevice MV, Otoni CG, de Moura MR, Mattoso LHC. Chitosan nanoparticles on the improvement of thermal, barrier, and mechanical properties of high- and low-methyl pectin films. Food Hydrocoll. 2016;52(1):732–740. doi: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2015.08.003. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  13. Marudova M, MacDougall AJ, Ring SG. Pectin–chitosan interactions and gel formation. Carbohydr Res. 2004;339(11):1933–1939. doi: 10.1016/j.carres.2004.05.017. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Mendes JF, Norcino LB, Manrich A. Characterization of pectin films integrated with Coco butter by continuous casting: physical, thermal and barrier properties. J Polym Environ. 2020;28:2905–2917. doi: 10.1007/s10924-020-01829-1. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  15. Mohammadi Nafchi A, Olfat A, Bagheri M, Nouri L, Karim AA, Ariffin F. Preparation and characterization of a novel edible film based on Alyssum homolocarpum seed gum. J Food Sci Technol. 2017;54(6):1703–1710. doi: 10.1007/s13197-017-2602-z. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Mimica-Dukic N, Bozin B, Sokovic M, Mihajlovic B, Matavulj M. Antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of three Mentha species essential oils. Planta Medica. 2003;69(05):413–419. doi: 10.1055/s-2003-39704. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Namratha S, Sreejit V, Preetha R. Fabrication and evaluation of physico chemical properties of probiotic edible film based on pectin-alginate-casein composite. Int J Food Sci Technol. 2020;55(4):1497–1505. doi: 10.1111/ijfs.14550. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  18. Pathak VM, Navneet Review on the current status of polymer degradation: a microbial approach. Bioresour Bioprocess. 2017;4:15. doi: 10.1186/s40643-017-0145-9. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  19. Preetha R, Jayaprakash NS, Philip R, Singh ISB. Optimization of medium for the production of a novel aquaculture probiotic, micrococcus MCCB 104 using central composite design. Biotechnol Bioprocess Eng. 2007;12(5):548–555. doi: 10.1007/BF02931353. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  20. Preetha R, Vijayan KK, Jayapraksh NS, Alavandi SV, Santiago TC, Singh ISB. Optimization of culture conditions for mass production of the probiotics Pseudomonas MCCB 102 and 103 antagonistic to pathogenic vibrios in aquaculture. Probiotics Antimicrob Proteins. 2015;7:137–145. doi: 10.1007/s12602-015-9185-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Priyadarshi R, Sauraj Kumar B, Deeba F, Kulshreshtha A, Negi YS. Chitosan films incorporated with Apricot (Prunus armeniaca) kernel essential oil as active food packaging material. Food Hydrocoll. 2018;85(2):158–166. doi: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2018.07.003. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  22. Ramesh S, Radhakrishnan P. Areca nut fiber nano crystals, clay nano particles and PVA blended bionanocomposite material for active packaging of food. Appl Nanosci. 2020 doi: 10.1007/s13204-020-01617-2. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  23. Rinaudo M. Chitin and chitosan: properties and applications. Prog Polym Sci. 2006;31(5):603–632. doi: 10.1016/j.progpolymsci.2006.06.001. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  24. Sanchez-Gonzalez L, Chiralt A, Gonzalez-Martinez C, Chafer M. Effect of essential oils on properties of film forming emulsion and film based on hydropropylmethyl cellulose and chitosan. J Food Eng. 2011;10(2):246–253. doi: 10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2011.02.028. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  25. Shruthy R, Jancy S, Preetha R (2020) Cellulose nanoparticles synthesized from potato peel for the development of active packaging film for enhancement of shelf life of raw prawns (Penaus monodon) during frozen storage. Int J Food Sci Technol 10.1111/IJFS.14551
  26. Shruthy R, Preetha R. Cellulose nanoparticles from agro industrial waste for the development of active packaging. Appl Surf Sci. 2019;48(8):41274–42128. [Google Scholar]
  27. Singh N, Rajini PS. Free radical scavenging activity of an aqueous extract of potato peel. Food Chem. 2004;85(6):611–616. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2003.07.003. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  28. Srinivasa P, Tharanathan R. Chitin/chitosan—safe, ecofriendly packaging materials with multiple potential uses. Food Rev Int. 2007;23(1):53–72. doi: 10.1080/87559120600998163. [DOI] [Google Scholar]
  29. Verma MK, Shakya S, Kumar P. Trends in packaging material for food products: historical background, current scenario, and future prospects. J Food Sci Technol. 2021 doi: 10.1007/s13197-021-04964-2. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Wang LY, Dong Y, Men HT, Tong J, Zhou J. Preparation and characterization of action films based on chitosan incorporated tea polyphenols. Food Hydrocoll. 2013;32(4):35–41. doi: 10.1016/j.foodhyd.2012.11.034. [DOI] [Google Scholar]

Associated Data

This section collects any data citations, data availability statements, or supplementary materials included in this article.

Supplementary Materials

Supplementary file1 (DOCX 77 kb) (77.1KB, docx)

Data Availability Statement

The research data is not shared.

The research data are not shared.

Articles from Journal of Food Science and Technology are provided here courtesy of Springer

RESOURCES