Fabrication of flexible chitosan film reinforced with pulping by-product lignosulfonates for cherry-tomato preservation

• Main Authors: Zhu, Jiangyu, Fang, Yujie, Wakisaka, Minato, Saadiah Hafid, Halimatun, Yang, Zhengfei, Yin, Yongqi, Omura, Taku, Fang, Weiming
• Format: Article
• Published: Elsevier BV 2024
• Online Access: http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/106167/; https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S2590157524000683
• Institution: Universiti Putra Malaysia

The massive production of food waste and plastic pollution necessitates innovative solutions. This study reports the first fabrication of a flexible chitosan (CH) film reinforced with lignosulfonate (LS) derived from pulping byproduct as a sustainable alternative to synthetic food packaging. The CH/LS composite film was prepared by a simple casting method with varying LS contents of 1 % and 2 %. Compared to CH film, the addition of 2 % LS increased the tensile strength by over 4 times and decreased water vapor permeability by 11 %. Moreover, the CH/LS film exhibited excellent UV-shielding properties. This novel use of LS to reinforce CH film presents an eco-friendly active packaging material. When used to package cherry tomatoes for 2 weeks, the CH/LS film effectively maintained fruit freshness and hardness while minimizing weight loss. This work provides new scientific evidence on the optimized preparation and application of CH/LS composite films from renewable resources for food preservation.