Development and characterization of plant oil-incorporated carboxymethyl cellulose/bacterial cellulose/glycerol-based antimicrobial edible films for food packaging applications

This study is aimed to develop ‘green’ bacterial cellulose (BC)-based bioactive and biocompatible food packaging material by using plant oils (olive oil and ginger oil) as antimicrobial agents. A composite film containing 2 wt.% BC slurry, 30% wt.% carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), and 30% wt.% glycerol (Gly) was ex-situ developed and separately impregnated with 1–2 wt.% olive oil and ginger oil. FE-SEM observation showed the successful incorporation of oils and Gly into the fibrous cellulose matrix. FTIR analysis showed chemical interaction between the components of BC/CMC/Gly/Oil film. The developed olive oil and ginger oil-based films showed good water solubility up to 37.5% and 41.08%, respectively. Both types of films did not show any toxicity toward the NIH-3T3 fibroblasts. The BC/CMC/Gly/Olive oil edible film showed good antimicrobial activity against three bacterial strains (Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli) and two fungal strains (Candida albicans and Trichosporon sp.) by producing clear inhibition zones of 0.1 cm, 0.1 cm, 0.22 cm, 0.08 cm, and 0.15 cm, respectively, after 24 h, while the BC/CMC/Gly/Ginger oil film respectively produced inhibition zones of 0.1 cm, 0.11 cm, 0.1 cm, 0.04 cm, and 0.05 cm after 24 h. The coating of oranges and tomatoes with BC/CMC/Gly/Oil prevented their spoilage and weight loss and increased their shelf-life at various storage temperatures. The results showed acceptable sensory characteristics such as odor and color at different storage temperatures up to 9 weeks. The findings of this study indicate that the developed BC/CMC/Gly/Oil composite films could be potentially used in developing edible packaging materials.Graphical abstractToC. Development of ‘green’ plant oil-incorporated BC-based biocompatible, biodegradable, bioactive, and nontoxic food packaging materials