Development and characterization of biodegradable agarose/gum neem/nanohydroxyapatite/polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate based edible bio-film for applications towards a circular economy

The commercial marketability of various food packaging biofilms is limited by their poor breathability and biodegradability. For that reason, designing materials with desirable functional properties that take advantage of each individual component through polymer blending can extend the shelf life of perishable products while also overcoming major obstacles connected with the fabrication of safe and ecologically friendly food packaging solutions. Therefore, the present study aims to overcome these constraints by fabricating novel agarose (Ag), gum neem (GN), nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate (PS80) based edible biofilm was fabricated by blending them into a film matrix by using a solution casting method to obtain economically sustainable material for applications towards a circular economy and the same is currently tested for food packaging applications. The film was characterized by FE-SEM (Field-emission, scanning electron microscopy), FT-IR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), XRD (X-ray-diffraction), TGA (Thermogravimetric analysis), and H1-NMR (Nuclear magnetic resonance) and its cytotoxicity was evaluated against human breast epithelial cell line (FR2). Furthermore, a series of mechanical tests showed excellent performance of edible bio-film with great mechanical properties (elongation at break: 6.6%, Tensile strength: 53.3 MPa, coefficient of friction: 0.007), thermal stability, water and oxygen barrier (oxygen transmission rate: 1171.906 Cc/m2 day at 0.1 MPa pressure, water vapour transmission rate: 3.64 g/m2 day). The mango and grape preservation tests demonstrated the edible bio-film's superior preservation capability. Edible films and coatings enable the preservation of fresh and processed foods, the preservation of quality, the prevention of microbiological contamination and/or oxidation reactions, and the prolonging of the shelf life of food items. In addition, the edible film showed complete biodegradability, which can be potentially applied as a greener and potential alternative to conventional food packaging films, which are capable of inhibiting and altering food spoilage.(c) 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

The present study aims to fabricate edible biofilm by blending agarose, gum neem, nano-hydroxyapatite, and polyoxyethylene sorbitan monooleate, which showed excellent mechanical properties, thermal stability, water and oxygen barrier abilities, and prolonged the shelf life of food items. The edible film also exhibited complete biodegradability and can be a greener and potential alternative to conventional food packaging films.