Cellulose Nanocrystals Reinforced Zein/Catechin/β-Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complex Nanoparticles Nanocomposite Film for Active Food Packaging

Abstract

In this study, following the green, environmentally friendly and sustainable development strategy, cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) were prepared through a solvent-free esterification reaction between microcrystalline cellulose and maleic anhydride, combined with subsequent ultrasonic treatment, and maleic-anhydride-modified CNC-reinforced zein/catechin/β-cyclodextrin inclusion complex nanoparticles nanocomposite films were prepared by a facile solution casting. The amount of CNCs in the film matrix was 0–8 wt%, and their effect on structural, physicochemical and functional properties of the resulting films were investigated. SEM images showed that the addition of CNCs made the microstructure of the film more smooth and uniform. The intermolecular hydrogen bonds between CNCs and film matrix were supported by FT-IR. XRD analysis also confirmed the appearance of a crystalline peak due to the existence of CNCs inside the films. The incorporation of CNCs significantly reduced water vapor permeability, water solubility and the swelling degree of the nanocomposite film, and also significantly increased tensile strength and elongation at break from 12.66 to 37.82 MPa and 4.5% to 5.2% (p < 0.05). Moreover, nanocomposite film packaging with CNCs can effectively inhibit the oxidation of soybean oil.

A Bioactive Chitosan−Based Film Enriched with Benzyl Isothiocyanate/α−Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complex and Its Application for Beef Preservation

“…These observations suggested that the BITC−α−CD dispersed in the composite film solution in an even manner, indicating the favorable compatibility between BITC−α−CD and CS film−forming solution. Moreover, no large agglomerations in the microscopic surface of CS−BITC−α−CD composite film suggested that BITC−α−CD can be well dispersed in the CS film matrix due to intermolecular forces, which might be beneficial to improve the film strength [ 47 ]. The previous study reported that the uniform distribution of cellulose nanocrystals in the CS film effectively enhanced the physical and mechanical properties of the CS film matrix [ 48 ].…”

Chitosan/esterified chitin nanofibers nanocomposite films incorporated with rose essential oil: Structure, physicochemical characterization, antioxidant and antibacterial properties

“…After the chitin nanofibers were added, the film formed a dense microstructural network, which was beneficial to enhancing the water vapor barrier capacity. Previous studies have also found that cellulose nanofibers can decrease the WVP value of polymer films ( Huq et al, 2012 , Jiang et al, 2021a ). As the essential oil content was increased, the WVP value of chitosan-based films significantly decreased (p < 0.05), suggesting that the addition of hydrophobic substances can reduce the WVP of film.…”

“…Addition of the chitin nanofibers did not significantly improve the antioxidant capacity of the chitosan-based film (p greater than 0.05), which was due to the lack of antioxidant activity of chitin. Our previous study also showed that cellulose nanocrystals did not improve the antioxidant activity of zein films ( Jiang et al, 2021a ). With the incorporation of REO, the scavenging ratios of DPPH and ABTS of the films were notably enhanced (p < 0.05).…”

“…One way to overcome these disadvantages is to improve the physicochemical properties of the films by blending chitosan and other biobased polymer nanomaterials to prepare biocomposites ( Tang, Zhang, Zhao, Guo, & Zhang, 2018 ). In our previous research, cellulose nanocrystals were incorporated into zein films, and the barrier, mechanical and UV resistance properties of the films were significantly enhanced ( Jiang, Han, Meng, Xiao, & Zhang, 2021a ). Chitin, the second largest natural polymer after cellulose, consists of 2-acetamino-2-deoxy- d -glucose with β (1–4) bonds and is found primarily in the exoskeletons of crustaceans ( Jafari, Pirouzifard, Khaledabad, & Almasi, 2016 ).…”

Silk fibroin‐based films in food packaging applications: A review

“…Also, nanotechnology was used for sustainable food packaging. It included blending curcumin with sodium caseinate‐mixed zein nanoparticles (L. Wang et al., 2019), adding gelatin‐kappa‐carrageenan with thymol and zein nanoparticles (Maroufi et al., 2021), zein films added with chitosan nanoparticles and pomegranate‐peel extract (Cui et al., 2020), plasma‐treated zein–catechin–$${{\beta}}$$‐cyclodextrin nanocomposite films incorporated with cellulose nanocrystals (L. Jiang et al., 2021), and cellulose nanofibrils mixed with zein nanoparticles as nanocomposites (Q. Li et al., 2020).…”