Nanocomposites of Bacterial Cellulose Nanofibrils and Zein Nanoparticles for Food Packaging

Abstract

The pursuit of sustainable high-performance nanocomposite materials requires the development of nanoscale building blocks based on natural renewable resources and efficient facile production methods. Here, we show a simple, fast, and environmentally friendly route to construct a mechanically robust and multifunctional nanocomposite by using bacterial cellulose nanofibrils (BCNs) and protein zein nanoparticles (ZNs) as natural building blocks. The nanoparticles ZN are successfully incorporated into the BCN networks forming a homogeneous nanopaper composite by a well-established scalable papermaking process. The resulting BCN-ZN nanocomposites display markedly improved tensile mechanical properties and thermal stability, which mainly result from the strong interfacial adhesion and interactions between ZN nanoparticles and BCN matrix induced by hydrogen bonds. Moreover, after the incorporation of ZN, the biocompatibility of the nanocomposites is also enhanced due to the formation of rougher surface structure as well as the good biocompatibility of edible zein. More particularly, the multifunctional BCN-ZN nanocomposites with diverse activities such as antibacterial properties are fully achieved by encapsulating various hydrophobic active cargoes into the versatile nanocarrier ZN. Considering the facile and green preparation process, and the use of all-natural, sustainable ingredients, we expect these mechanically robust and multifunctional BCN-ZN nanocomposites to promote the development of cellulose nanofibril-based nanocomposite materials for sustainable applications in food packaging.

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).…”

Protein‐based natural antibacterial materials and their applications in food preservation

“…Besides, they showed that the KGM/Zein/Cur composite nanofibril film exhibited excellent antibacterial effects on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus with a large halo inhibition zone of 12–20 mm (Wang et al ., 2019 ). Besides, some other studies reported that zein‐based composite film loaded with thymol (Li et al ., 2020a , 2020b ), Lauroyl‐L‐arginine ethyl ester monohydrochloride (LAE) (Kashiri et al ., 2019 ) and other antibacterial agents inhibited the growth of microbes. In addition, the combination with essential oil antibacterial agents, there are also many studies on the combination of zein and plant extracts.…”

“…In addition, the combination with essential oil antibacterial agents, there are also many studies on the combination of zein and plant extracts. For instance, li and his colleagues (Li et al ., 2020a , 2020b ) developed antimicrobial protein films by using resveratrol (R) and gelatin/zein (GA/ZN). The fibre mats could extend the pork meat shelf life, showing the good application prospect in food preservation.…”

A Novel Method for Stabilizing Zein Gel Particles to Salt Ion-Induced Aggregation

“…Based on structure and solubility, it can be divided into α-zein, β-zein, γ-zein and δ-zein [ 2 ]. Due to its excellent self-assembly properties, good biocompatibility and degradability, zein can be used to prepare edible gel particles [ 3 ]. In recent years, zein gel particles have been widely used as carriers for hydrophobic nutrients, including curcumin [ 4 ], beta-carotene [ 5 ], resveratrol [ 6 ], and tocopherol [ 7 ], especially in fat-free or fat-reduced food systems.…”