Efficacy of chitosan films with basil essential oil: perspectives in food packaging

Use of edible antimicrobial films in food packaging helps to prevent post harvest decay of food materials. Hence, basil oil-incorporated chitosan films were investigated for this purpose. Basil oil, an important essential oil with antimicrobial and antioxidant properties was added to chitosan in various proportions and their properties were studied. Chitosan was derived from squid pens, a prominent waste of the food processing industry. Antifungal activity was evaluated using four important food pathogenic fungi viz, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavus, Fusarium sp. and Penicillium sp. Chitosan and basil oil individually inhibited the complete growth of the microbes at 0.5% concentration, while their synergistic effect was proved at 0.1%. Thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy studies revealed the thermal stability and smooth morphology of the composite films respectively. The antioxidant activity and water barrier properties of the composite films were enhanced due to the essential oil incorporation, while there was a reduction in tensile strength and elongation at break. Thus, the addition of basil oil to chitosan has promisingly improved the film properties thereby making it amenable for food packaging applications.