Characterization of anglerfish gelatin/polyvinyl alcohol film and its application in preservation of small yellow croaker (Larimichthys polyactis)

The study investigated the effect of adding anglerfish gelatin (AFG) on the properties of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/gallic acid (GA) films and evaluated their preservation efficacy for small yellow croaker. The characterization results showed that the AFGP films had good ductility and barrier properties, high tensile strength, and low water vapor permeability. In particular, the transmittance of the AFGP films was as low as 10.02%. In addition, we observed that the thicker the AFGP films, the higher the tensile strength. The potential interaction of the film matrix was analyzed by SEM, FTIR, and XRD, demonstrating hydrogen bond formation and some compatibility of the two polymers. The AFGP films also exhibited excellent antioxidant activity and the DPPH radical scavenging efficiency of AFGP films was 78.35% and has the potential to prolong the shelf life of small yellow croaker. Together, the AFGP films have great potential for use in active and intelligent food packaging applications.