Robust Cellulose/Carboxymethyl Chitosan Composite Films with High Transparency and Antibacterial Ability for Fresh Fruit Preservation

The packaging of fresh foods is increasingly focusing on biodegradable composites made from natural resources. Environmental worries about traditional plastics can be reduced by developing robust, eco-friendly biocomposites. Here, carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) was co-solubilized with cellulose to successfully fabricate highly transparent, sturdy composite films (CSCs). All composite films exhibited better thermal stability, high transparency, and robust mechanical strength due to physical crosslinking and hydrogen bonds between homogeneously dispersed CMCS and cellulose molecules. Particularly, compared to CSC-0, the tensile strength and elongation at break of CSC-3 were increased by 68.8 and 23.2%, respectively. Additionally, CSCs showed excellent barrier capacity and good antibacterial ability for suitable food packaging materials. These CSCs with excellent properties can be used to package fruit to reduce water loss from the fruit and increase its shelf life.