Colorimetric film based on polyvinyl alcohol/okra mucilage polysaccharide incorporated with rose anthocyanins for shrimp freshness monitoring

In this work, a colorimetric film was designed for shrimp freshness monitoring by incorporating rose anthocyanins (RAs) in polyvinyl alcohol/okra mucilage polysaccharide (PVA/OMP) composite film. The presence of OMP changed the film-forming solution from Newtonian to non-Newtonian fluid. The addition of OMP and RAs decreased the crystalline of PVA due to the hydrogen bonds among RAs, OMP and PVA. An appropriate content of RAs and OMP could improve the film mechanical and barrier properties. The colorimetric film showed distinguishable color changes at pH 2–12 and was high sensitive to volatile ammonia. The target film of PVA/OMP-RAs could effectively monitor shrimp freshness in real time and the color changes were easily distinguished by naked eye, suggesting its potential in intelligent packaging for freshness monitoring of aquatic products and meat foods.