Antibacterial activity of chitosan film containing Syzygium aromaticum (clove) oil encapsulated halloysite nanotubes against foodborne pathogenic bacterial strains

In this study, Clove Oil (CO) was encapsulated into Halloysite Nanotubes (HNT) and the developed nanocapsule (CO-HNT) were further combined with chitosan for the formulation of active food packaging film. CO encapsulation efficiency into HNT was determined to be 7.54 % using thermogravimetric analysis. The developed nanocomposite film (CO-HNT/chitosan) was characterized by several instruments viz. SEM, DSC, FTIR and UV–visible Spectrophotometer. The antioxidant activity of nanocomposite film was determined by DPPH assay and the maximum antioxidant activity (74 %) was found for the concentration of film extract of 100 µl/ ml of DPPH. In vitro antimicrobial studies of the developed nanocomposites showed effective antibacterial activity at about 99 % against Bacillus mojavensis and Escherichia coli at concentrations of 3 mg/ml and 4 mg/ml respectively. In addition, CO-HNT/chitosan nanocomposites film exhibited a zone of inhibition against these bacterial strains and blocked the UV light up to 99 % without sacrificing the transparency of the films. Hence, this nanocomposite film could find applications in the area of food packaging. • Clove oil (CO) encapsulated Halloysite nanotubes (HNTs). • CO-HNT/chitosan film presented effective antibacterial activities against food spoilage bacteria. • CO-HNT/chitosan films presented strong antioxidant properties. • CO-HNT/chitosan film showed very high UV-barrier properties.