Humidity-responsive composite film for strawberry freshness control

IF 5.8 2区农林科学 Q1 ENGINEERING, CHEMICAL

Journal of Food Engineering Pub Date : 2025-07-24 DOI:10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2025.112736

Sulin You, Hui Li, Zilin Qi, Hengping Xu, Tianhua Ding, Zainab Rasheed, Mingrui Chen, Wen Qin, Suqing Li, Yaowen Liu

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

In this study, a cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)-based double-layer smart packaging film with both humidity-responsive and antimicrobial functionalities was developed for strawberry preservation and real-time freshness monitoring. CNC was extracted via sulfuric acid hydrolysis and modified with glycerol (Gly) to modulate its humidity-responsive properties, enabling reversible color transitions from blue to red within 30–98 % relative humidity (RH). Zein/gelatin (Gel) nanofiber layers loaded with 3 % Thymol (Thy) in a mass ratio of 1:1 was fabricated using electrospinning technology, achieving an encapsulation efficiency >85 % and inhibition zones of 21.3 ± 0.5 mm (Botrytis cinerea) and 20.8 ± 0.4 mm (Aspergillus niger). The composite film exhibited a significantly reduced water vapor transmission rate (3.81 × 10⁻¹¹ g Pa⁻¹·s⁻¹·m⁻¹), indicating excellent moisture barrier properties. Strawberry preservation experiments demonstrated that the composite film effectively delayed hardness reduction (61.5 % of initial firmness retained), reduced weight loss to 8.5 %, and suppressed mold growth (<10³ CFU/g). Through smartphone RGB analysis, the film color gradient (blue-orange-red) exhibited strong correlations with freshness indicators (hardness; mold colony count (CFU/g)), enabling non-destructive real-time monitoring. This study introduces an eco-friendly, cost-effective packaging solution that offers real-time freshness monitoring and prolonged strawberry preservation, paving the way for industrial applications in smart food packaging.

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草莓保鲜用湿度响应复合薄膜

在这项研究中，开发了一种基于纤维素纳米晶体（CNC）的双层智能包装薄膜，该薄膜具有湿度响应和抗菌功能，可用于草莓的保存和实时新鲜度监测。CNC通过硫酸水解提取，并用甘油（Gly）修饰，以调节其湿度响应特性，使其在30 - 98%的相对湿度（RH）内实现从蓝色到红色的可逆颜色转换。采用静电纺丝技术制备了含有3%百里香酚（Thy）、质量比为1:1的玉米蛋白/明胶（Gel）纳米纤维层，包封率为85%，抑制区分别为灰霉病菌（Botrytis cinerea） 21.3±0.5 mm和黑曲霉（Aspergillus niger） 20.8±0.4 mm。复合膜的水蒸气透过率显著降低（3.81 × 10−11 g Pa−1·s−1·m−1），具有优异的隔湿性能。草莓保鲜实验表明，复合膜有效延缓了草莓硬度的降低（保留了初始硬度的61.5%），将重量损失降低到8.5%，并抑制了霉菌的生长（103 CFU/g）。通过智能手机RGB分析，胶片颜色梯度（蓝橙红）与新鲜度指标(硬度；霉菌菌落计数（CFU/g）)，实现非破坏性实时监测。本研究介绍了一种环保、经济的包装解决方案，提供实时新鲜度监测和延长草莓保存时间，为智能食品包装的工业应用铺平了道路。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Journal of Food Engineering 工程技术-工程：化工

CiteScore

11.80

自引率

5.50%

发文量

275

审稿时长

24 days

期刊介绍： The journal publishes original research and review papers on any subject at the interface between food and engineering, particularly those of relevance to industry, including: Engineering properties of foods, food physics and physical chemistry; processing, measurement, control, packaging, storage and distribution; engineering aspects of the design and production of novel foods and of food service and catering; design and operation of food processes, plant and equipment; economics of food engineering, including the economics of alternative processes. Accounts of food engineering achievements are of particular value.