Active intelligent packaging film based on ethylene vinyl acetate nanocomposite containing extracted anthocyanin, rosemary extract and ZnO/Fe-MMT nanoparticles

A new strategy to prevent food deterioration is the use of intelligent-active food packaging. Intelligent-active packaging is defined as a barrier film which prevents or delays the spoilage of food or reveals the deterioration process in food by different mechanisms. In this study, the intelligent-active property was imbedded into food packaging films made of ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer an abundant, flexible, and non-toxic polymer blend by incorporation of different additives. Anthocyanin extracted from red cabbage was stabilized on montmorillonite and added to the film as a time-temperature indicator. Other materials such as ZnO nanoparticles, rosemary extract, and modified montmorillonite were used to achieve antimicrobial, antioxidant, and air barrier activity. The additives and prepared films were characterized by FTIR, XRD, FESEM, TGA, and mechanical analysis. The performance of the prepared films was investigated by antioxidant capacity test by DPPH, in vitro test, minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), minimum inhibition concentration (MIC), antibacterial test and capacity of oxygen absorbance. Results showed that films which contain rosemary extract, ZnO, and modified montmorillonite exhibited remarkable antibacterial and antioxidant activity compared to pristine EVA film.