Development and characterization of peppermint essential oil/rice husk fibre/ corn starch active biocomposite film and its performance on bread preservation

Active packaging with antimicrobial characteristics can inhibit bacterial growth and prolong the shelf life of packaged food products. Numerous attempts have been made to develop biobased eco-friendly polymer packaging films to minimize the utilization of synthetic antimicrobial packaging. However, polymer-based packaging has limited physio-mechanical properties, making it a poor candidate for packaging applications. In this study, an antimicrobial fibre-reinforced biocomposite was fabricated using rice husk fibre (RH) in the starch matrix to enhance the properties of packaging film. Peppermint essential oil (PEO), extracted from peppermint leaves, was incorporated into the film to enable antimicrobial properties. Rice husk fibre was varied from 10% to 50%, PEO ranged from 1% to 6%, and influence on various properties of biocomposite film was analysed. Developed biocomposite films were evaluated using XRD, FT-IR, SEM, water contact angle, and surface roughness. Furthermore, mechanical properties, water solubility, moisture content, colour properties, and optical barrier properties of biocomposite film were also calculated. In mechanical properties, biocomposite film that has 10% rice husk fibres, and 1% PEO showed the maximum tensile strength and elastic modulus of 2.25 MPa, and 57.4 MPa, respectively. In the biodegradability test, the degradation rate was reduced with reinforcing rice husk fibres and incorporation of PEO. The fabricated biocomposite films exhibit a zone of inhibition against Gram-positive bacteria (S. aureus and B. subtilis) as well as Gram-negative bacteria (E. coli and K. pneumoniae). Moreover, fabricated biocomposite was used as bread packaging and compared with synthetic and open packaging for shelf-life analysis. In observation, it was found that it has increased the shelf life of packed bread and reduced the growth of food-borne microbes in bread. This fabricated antimicrobial biocomposite is an eco-friendly packaging film that may reduce the food wastage and environmental impact of packaging materials by utilizing agricultural waste.