Abstract
In this study, the casting method was used to make chitosan (CS)/corn starch/cinnamaldehyde film, and the preservation performance of the film was examined. The results showed that the tensile strength of the film can reach to 31.24 ± 0.22 MPa when the mass ratios of CS, corn starch, and glycerin were 2.5%, 7%, and 0.5% respectively. The addition of cinnamaldehyde made the films have great inhibitory effect on Botrytis cinerea, Rhizopus, and Escherichia coli. In particular, the film had a significant fresh-keeping effect on strawberries, which reduced the loss of nutritional value, when aiming at soluble solids, titratable acid value, weight loss rate, and other indexes of strawberries. Thus, the films can slow down the physiological changes of strawberries and extend their shelf life to 11 days. Therefore, this work demonstrates the noteworthy potential of these novel films, incorporating natural antimicrobial compounds as innovative solutions to be used in active food packaging to extend the shelf-life of food products.
Highlights
Environmentally-friendly preservative films usually possess excellent mechanical and barrier properties, but poor antibacterial properties
The casting method was used to successfully fabricate CS/corn starch films, and the effects of adding different ratios of cinnamaldehyde on the material properties of CS/corn starch films were studied through a series of tests
The results showed that the water-vapor transmittance rate of the films decreased as the cinnamaldehyde ratio increased, and the minimum value was 4.91 ± 0.22 b ×
Summary
Environmentally-friendly preservative films usually possess excellent mechanical and barrier properties, but poor antibacterial properties. It has become a research hot-spot to strengthen the antibacterial properties of preservative films; prevent the food and films themselves from microbial pollution; and develop an environmentally-friendly antibacterial film which is applied safely, with a broad-spectrum, and high efficiency. With people more and more inclined to natural, organic, and green food processing, how to apply natural antibacterial agents in the field of food processing effectively has gradually become the focus of research. The natural antibacterial agents which can be seen in normal life are antibiotics (such as Lactococcus peptide), lysozymes, plant essential-oils, etc [2,3]. Plant essential oils are safe, non-toxic, and have certain antibacterial
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
