Fabrication and characterization of multifunctional bioactive aerogel pads as superabsorbent - Case study: Meat preservation

In this study cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs)/poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) aerogels were produced and the effect of the concentration of CNF/PVA on porosity, density, pore size, water absorption, water vapor absorption, and mechanical properties were studied. CNFs were developed using peanut shells as agricultural waste. Curcumin (CUR) was incorporated into the aerogel matrix at different concentrations (30 %, 40 %, and 50 %). The best bioactive aerogel pad was selected based on its encapsulation efficiency (80.57 ± 0.29 %), loading capacity (22.85 ± 0.22 %), and antioxidant properties (74.14 ± 0.31 %). The aerogels loaded with CUR were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. The bioactive aerogel pads showed antibacterial properties against Staphylococcus aureus. The cumulative release (65 %) of CUR from the aerogel matrix for 8 days, indicates a sustained release in meat-simulated media, which is suitable for increasing the shelf life of meat. The kinetics of the release showed that the Ritger-Peppas and Peppas-Sahlin models are the best models for the meat-simulated media. The storage results indicated that the package containing the aerogels loaded with CUR could increase the shelf life of meat from 6 to 8 days compared to the package containing the aerogels without CUR and the control package. Finally, this research provides a suitable strategy in the field of food packaging to produce multifunctional antimicrobial pads based on biodegradable agricultural waste.