This research explores the integration of corn husk nanocellulose (CHNc) and pineapple leaf nanocellulose (PLNc) as reinforcing agents in a carboxymethyl cellulose-based film derived from durian husk (CMCDH). Through a solvent-casting method, composite films were fabricated with varying nanocellulose contents (15, 30, and 45 wt%). Analysis using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction confirmed the effectiveness of alkaline and bleaching treatments in eliminating noncellulosic components. Transmission electron microscopy image revealed the rod-like morphology of CHNc and PLNc, with dimensions approximately 206.5 × 7.2 nm and 150.7 × 6.5 nm, respectively. The inclusion of nanocellulose decreased the transparency of CMCDH films while enhancing their tensile strength, thermal stability, and water vapor transmission rate. Notably, CMCDH/PLNc(30%) exhibited the highest tensile strength at 5.06 ± 0.83 MPa, representing a remarkable 220% increase compared to CMCDH biofilm. Thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimeter results indicated that nanocellulose incorporation delayed the film\'s decomposition temperature by approximately 10°C. Moreover, CMCDH/PLNc(30%) demonstrated the lowest water vapor transmission rate, marking a 20% improvement. However, the film\'s properties were compromised at the highest nanocellulose content (45 wt%) due to observed fiber aggregation, as revealed by scanning electron microscopy analysis.

Rapid industrial growth is associated with an increase in the production of environmentally harmful waste. A potential solution to significantly reduce pollution is to replace current synthetic materials with readily biodegradable plastics. Moreover, to meet the demands of technological advancements, it is essential to develop materials with unprecedented properties to enhance their functionality. Polysaccharide composites demonstrate significant potential in this regard. Polysaccharides possess exceptional film-forming abilities and are safe for human use, biodegradable, widely available, and easily modifiable. Unfortunately, polysaccharide-based films fall short of meeting all expectations. To address this issue, the current study focused on incorporating carbon quantum dots (CQDs), which are approximately 10 nm in size, into the structure of a starch/chitosan biocomposite at varying concentrations. This modification has improved the mechanical properties of the resulting nanocomposites. The inclusion of nanoparticles led to a slight reduction in solubility and an increase in the swelling degree. The optical characteristics of the obtained films were influenced by the presence of CQDs, and the fluorescence intensity of the nanocomposites changed due to the specific heavy metal ions and amino acids used. Consequently, these nanocomposites show great potential for detecting these compounds. Cellular viability assessments and comet assays confirm that the resulting nanocomposites do not exhibit any cytotoxic properties based on this specific analytic method. The tested nanocomposites with the addition of carbon quantum dots (NC/CD II and NC/CD III) were characterised by greater genotoxicity compared to the negative control. The positive control, the starch/chitosan composite alone, was also characterised by a greater induction of chromatin damage in mouse cells compared to a pure mouse blood sample.

This study utilized post-industrial wheat starch (biological macromolecule) for the development of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) based thermoplastic starch blend (TPS) and biocomposite films. PBAT (70 wt%) was blended with plasticized post-industrial wheat starch (PPWS) (30 wt%) and reinforced with talc master batch (MB) (25 wt%) using a two-step process, consisting of compounding the blend for pellet preparation, followed by the cast film extrusion at 160 °C. The effect of the chain extender was analyzed at compounding temperatures of 160 and 180 °C for talc-based composites. The incorporation of talc MB has increased the thermal stability of the biocomposites due to the nucleating effect of talc. Moreover, tensile strength and Young\'s modulus increased by about 5 and 517 %, respectively as compared with the TPS blend film without talc MB. Thermal, rheological, and morphological analyses confirmed that the use of talc in the presence of chain extender at a processing temperature of 160 °C has resulted in an enhanced dispersion of talc and chain entanglement with PBAT and PPWS than PBAT/PPWS blend and PBAT/PPWS/Talc composite films. On the other hand, at 180 °C, the talc-containing biocomposite with chain extender tended to form PPWS agglomerates, thereby weakening its material properties.

Polysaccharide-based composite films were developed using mucilage polysaccharides (OLP) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) extracted from okra leafstalk wastes. The rheological properties of biocomposite OLP/CMC film-forming solutions were characterized using the Power-law model, and fabricated films were characterized for their potential food packaging applications. OLP/CMC solutions exhibited pseudo-plastic fluid characteristics and differences in rheological behavior (n, 0.478-0.743), and flow consistency (K, 1.731-9.154) with increasing content of OLP (5 to 30 % w/w of CMC) were associated with variations in the physical, mechanical, and barrier properties of films. Surface hydrophobicity (24%) increased and oxygen (39%) and water vapor (32%) permeability reduced in OLP/CMC films containing up to 10% OLP. Moreover, a higher content of OLP enhanced the antioxidant activity and thermal stability of OLP/CMC films. Subsequently, OLP/CMC was applied as a coating to preserve cherry tomatoes for 14 days at 30 °C. Quality deterioration characterized by high weight loss (22%), firmness loss (74.62%), and discoloration (∆E, 21.26) occurred in uncoated tomatoes and were within unusable/unmarketable limits based on their visual quality score. In contrast, OLP/CMC effectively minimized quality losses, and coated tomatoes exceeded the limit of marketability after 14 days of storage. This study successfully applied value-added polysaccharides derived from okra plant residues for edible food packaging.

Overuse of antimicrobials by the population has contributed to genetic modifications in bacteria and development of antimicrobial resistance, which is very difficult to combat nowadays. To solve this problem, it is necessary to develop new systems for the administration of antimicrobial active principles. Biocomposite systems containing silver nanoparticles can be a good medical alternative. In this context, the main objective of this study was to obtain a complex system in the form of a biocomposite film with antimicrobial properties based on chitosan, poly (vinyl alcohol) and silver nanoparticles. This new system was characterized from a structural and morphological point of view. The swelling degree, the mechanical properties and the efficiency of loading and release of an anti-inflammatory drug were also evaluated. The obtained biocomposite films are biocompatibles, this having been demonstrated by in vitro tests on HDFa cell lines, and have antimicrobial activity against S. aureus. The in vivo tests, carried out on rabbit subjects, highlighted the fact that signs of reduced fibrosis were specific to the C2P4.10.Ag1-IBF film sample, demonstrated by: intense expression of TNFAIP8 factors; as an anti-apoptotic marker, MHCII that favors immune cooperation among local cells; αSMA, which marks the presence of myofibroblasts involved in approaching the interepithelial spaces for epithelialization; and reduced expression of the Cox2 indicator of inflammation, Col I.

Using the solution casting method, a novel biodegradable thermoplastic arrowroot (Maranta arundinacea) starch (TPAS) films containing arrowroot fiber (AF) at different concentrations (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 wt%) were developed and characterized in terms of thermal, antibacterial activity, water vapor permeability (WVP), biodegradability, and light transmittance properties. The TPAS/AF-10 biocomposite film revealed a higher degradation temperature (313.02 °C) than other biocomposite films, indicating better thermal stability. Furthermore, increasing AF concentration led to a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in the linear burning rate and WVP of the biocomposite films from 248.9 to 115.2 mm/min and 8.18 × 10-10 ×g. s-1.m-1. Pa-1 to 5.20 × 10-10 ×g. s-1.m-1. Pa-1, respectively. The addition of fibers in the surface structure had a significant impact on remarkable drop in opacity (91.1 to 74.1%). In addition, the incorporation of AF and control film showed an insignificant effect against three pathogenic bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 43300), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), and Bacillus subtilis (B29). The soil burial findings demonstrated that the weight loss of TPAS/AF biocomposite films was significantly higher than TPAS film. Overall, the reinforcement of arrowroot fiber with TPAS film improved the properties of biocomposites for environmentally friendly food packaging applications.

In this study, cross-linked pearl millet starch and fenugreek oil was used to develop active starch edible films to overcome the limitations of native starch and to substitute artificial preservatives with natural one. The starch was cross-linked at three levels (1%, 3% and 5%) using sodium trimetaphosphate (STMP), and physicochemical properties were studied. Moreover, a comparative study was conducted among four samples of films prepared using native starch, cross-linked starch, and native and cross-linked starch loaded with fenugreek oil for physical, thermal, mechanical, morphological, and antibacterial properties. The solubility, swelling, and amylose content of native and modified starch varied from 11.25-12.75%, 12.91-15.10 g/g, and 8.97-16.55%, respectively. The values of these parameters were reduced as the concentration of STMP increased. Cross-linked starch films showed lower moisture, solubility, water vapor permeability(WVP), and elongation at break (EB) values while having higher thickness, opacity, thermal, and tensile strength values. The microscopic images of cross-linked starch films showed smooth surfaces and the absence of ridges, pores, and cracks. The films loaded with fenugreek oil showed different results; the moisture content, water solubility, and tensile strength were decreased while thickness, opacity, WVP, and EB were increased. The onset temperature and peak temperature were lower, while enthalpy of gelatinization was increased to a greater extent than films without oil. The addition of fenugreek oil to films showed a good inhibition area of 40.22% for native+oil films and 41.53% for cross-linked+oil films % against Escherichia coli. This study confirmed the successful utilization of fenugreek oil as a very effective antimicrobial agent in preparing edible films.

The aim of this study was to characterize chicken skin gelatin/tapioca starch composite films with varying concentrations (0-5%) of zinc oxide nanoparticles using the casting technique. The incorporation of 5% zinc oxide nanoparticles increased the water vapor permeation (1.52-1.93 × 10-7 gmm/cm2hPa) and melting temperature of the films. The tensile strength (22.96-50.43 MPa) was increased, while elongation at break decreased with increasing concentrations of zinc oxide nanoparticles. The structures of the films were also investigated via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The inhibitory zones for both the gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) (16-20 mm) and gram-negative (Escherichia coli) (15-20 mm) bacteria were larger in the film with 5% zinc oxide. Overall, chicken skin gelatin-tapioca starch composite films with 3% zinc oxide nanoparticles were found to have the optimal formulation, demonstrating good physical, mechanical and antibacterial properties. Gelatin-based composite films with nanoparticle incorporation show strong potential for use in biodegradable food packaging materials.

Interest in the development of smart and active biodegradable packaging materials is increasing as food manufacturers try to improve the sustainability and environmental impact of their products, while still maintaining their quality and safety. Active packaging materials contain components that enhance their functionality, such as antimicrobials, antioxidants, light blockers, or oxygen barriers. Smart packaging materials contain sensing components that provide an indication of changes in food attributes, such as alterations in their quality, maturity, or safety. For instance, a smart sensor may give a measurable color change in response to a deterioration in food quality. This article reviews recent advances in the development of active and smart biodegradable packaging materials in the food industry. Moreover, studies on the application of these packaging materials to monitor the freshness and safety of food products are reviewed, including dairy, meat, fish, fruit and vegetable products. Finally, the potential challenges associated with the application of these eco-friendly packaging materials in the food industry are discussed, as well as potential future directions.

In this study, we employed Pectin (PC) as a matrix that is hybridized with three different nucleobase (NB) units (cytosine, thymine, uracil) to generate pectin-nucleobase(PC-NB) biocomposite films stabilized through bio-multiple hydrogen bonds (BMHBs) as drug carrier for anticancer 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU). Prepared biocomposite films were characterized by Fourier Transform Infra-red Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimmetry Analysis (TGA) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Mechanical and sorption properties were also evaluated. In vitro drug release performed in both acidic pH 1.2 (stomach pH) and alkaline pH 7.4 (intestinal pH) showed that incorporation of nucleobases into pectin significantly restricted release rate of 5-FU particularly under acidic condition (pH 1.2). Hemolysis assays demonstrated that PC-NB-5-FU biocomposite film drug carriers were hemocompatible. Confocal microscope analysis indicates facilitated cellular uptake of PC-NB-5-FU film in HT-29 colon cancer cell line, which in turn result in a higher potential of apoptosis. Confocal imaging of fluorescent live/dead cell indicators and MTT assay outcomes, both demonstrated significant decreases in cellular viability of PC-NB-5-FU biocomposite films. Collectively, our findings indicate that this PC-NB-5-FU biocomposite films can be conferred as a proficient formulation for targeted delivery of colon cancer drugs.