Nanocellulose functionalized with cinnamon essential oil: A potential application in active biodegradable packaging for strawberry

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has aggravated existing problems associated with the high consumption of plastic products and their incorrect disposal, resulting in serious social, economic, and environmental problems. The development of biodegradable packaging has been growing in recent years due to the demand for food safety and quality. This work aimed to prepare PBAT active films loaded with cellulose nanofibers (CNF) embedded with cinnamon essential oil (EO) by the wire extension method. The possible interactions between NC-EO-PBAT were investigated, and the results confirmed the EO presence that physically interacted with the PBAT matrix, altering the polymeric molecular conformations. All films showed high thermal stability, being adequate for application in the food industry. The films containing the modified-CNF showed a Fickian controlled diffusion, and the higher essential oil release was verified for lower filler contents. The modified-CNF decreased the water vapor permeability due to the oil hydrophobic oil and good filler dispersion, which impacted the film's performance as packaging for strawberries. The fruits packed in films with 0.5 wt% of modified-CNF have lower weight loss after 15 days of storage, better freshness preservation, and no fungal attack. The results indicated that the developed films improved the strawberries' qualities and have antimicrobial properties against Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes, offering a potential alternative to synthetic materials as food packaging.