Development of Antimicrobial Gelatin-Based Edible Films by Incorporation of Trans-Anethole/β-Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complex

Antimicrobial activity is an attractive property for packaging materials which can extend the shelf life of products and provide microbial safety for consumers. The study aimed to analyze the physicochemical and antimicrobial properties of gelatin-based edible films containing trans-anethole as the active additive. Encapsulation with beta-cyclodextrin was used as an effective way to introduce trans-anethole into gelatin matrix. The results showed that the trans-anethole/beta-cyclodextrin inclusion complex could be evenly dispersed in the gelatin-based edible films with appropriate addition. The incorporation of trans-anethole conferred the edible films with good antimicrobial activity as expected, which increased with the content of trans-anethole increasing. Moreover, the addition of inclusion complex improved the tensile strength and surface hydrophobicity and reduced the moisture content of the edible films. It was interesting that the edible films presented great UV light barrier property and it was increased by the addition of inclusion complex. Overall, the antimicrobial gelatin-based edible films showed great potential as bioactive packaging materials to extend food shelf life.