Physico-chemical and Biological Properties of Starch Nanocrystals and Orange Oil Incorporated Chitosan Film

Chitosan based active packaging films incorporated with orange oil and starch nanocrystals were synthesized by solvent casting method using glycerol as plasticizer. The physical, structural, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of the resulting films were evaluated. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis confirmed the surface property and enhanced crystallinity by incorporating orange oil and starch nanocrystals in chitosan-glycerol film. Possible interactions between chitosan film and starch nanocrystals were established by FTIR. The opacity of the film showed a positive correlation (0=6.0) with increased incorporation of orange oil and starch nanocrystals, while moisture content, solubility and swelling nature of the modified film showed a negative correlation. Significantly improved antimicrobial and antioxidant capacities were noticed with the incorporation of orange oil (p < 0.05). This study proves that chitosan film modified with orange oil and starch nanocrystals can act as an active packaging film resulting in extended shelf-life of packaged food.