Wenjing Yang  ,  Yinfei Xu  ,  Yanna Hu  ,  Yan Li  ,  Shikai Zhang ,  Yijing Li  ,  Chengqiang Wang ,  Houshen Li 

Abstract 

Polysaccharide-based films, particularly pectin films, show great potential for food preservation but are limited by inferior mechanical properties and inadequate antibacterial activity. To address these challenges, we developed a tannic acid-montmorillonite (TA@M) nano-delivery system for perishable fruit preservation, where montmorillonite (M) serves as an inorganic nanocarrier for the antibacterial agent tannic acid (TA). TA@M can be uniformly dispersed in pectin matrix, filling and connecting the gaps between pectin molecular chains, forming a compact and stable composite film. Furthermore, TA@M has good compatibility with pectin and forms a stable composite structure through hydrogen bonding, thereby significantly improving the tensile strength (25.80 MPa), water vapor barrier properties (1.220 ×10−12 g/cm·s·Pa), and hydrophobic properties of pectin films. Benefiting from the slow-release effect of TA@M, the UV resistance, antioxidant properties (T-AOC and DPPH free radical scavenging capacity were maximized by 18.04 times and 15.77 times, respectively) and long-term antibacterial performance of the composite film were significantly improved, while achieving a good balance between mechanical properties and antibacterial activity. In addition, the composite film has reliable biological safety and can significantly extend the storage life of strawberries. In summary, this study provides new insights into balancing the multiple properties of pectin-based films, and the prepared biodegradable pectin-based slow-release antibacterial composite films have broad application prospects in perishable food packaging.

Paper Linkage:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925521426000761