Edible nano-film incorporated with lemon essential oil-loaded Pickering emulsion for cold storage improvement of Penaeus vannameia

This study developed a natural nanocomposite edible film for refrigerated shrimp preservation (Penaeus vannamei). A novel chitosan (CS)-whey protein isolate (WPI)-Fe³⁺ composite nanoparticles (CWNPs) was fabricated. These nanoparticles prepared a stable LE-loaded Pickering emulsion (NP-LE-PE) for edible film formation. The zeta potential of optimized CWNPs and NP-LE-PE reached 52.19 mV and 58.03 mV, respectively. In the antimicrobial assays against E. coli and S. aureus, the bacterial proliferation rates of NP-LE-PE were reduced by 81.66 % and 72.42 %, respectively, compared to the Blank. The puncture and stretching forces of the fabricated edible films were 1.03 g and 1499 g, respectively. The hemolysis rate of all samples was less than 5 %. In shrimp preservation tests, the PVA-GL-PE film significantly reduced 62.38 % weight loss of shrimp compared with the Blank group. It effectively inhibited pH increase during 6-day refrigeration, and the shrimp hardness was increased by 191.54 g compared with the Blank group. The edible coating markedly suppressed visual deterioration and off-odor formation. The findings offer a novel antimicrobial and antioxidant active packaging system for seafood preservation.