Hydrophobic Carboxymethyl Cellulose/Gelatin Film for Intelligent/Active Food Packaging Inspired by Duck Feather

Hydrophobic Carboxymethyl Cellulose/Gelatin Film for Intelligent/Active Food Packaging Inspired by Duck Feather

Chinese researchers have created an environmentally-friendly food packaging film using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and gelatin (Gel) matrix materials. Furthermore, resveratrol (a chemical commonly found in red grapes) was added to the CMC/Gel matrix, improving the film with excellent antioxidant, antibacterial, pH sensitive, fluorescent, and UV shielding properties. The film effectively imitates bionic barbed structure of a duck feather, contributing excellent hydrophobicity and moisture resistance behaviour. Also, the bionic film showed good mechanical properties, film forming ability, and biodegradability. Additionally, the film provides real time visual tracking of food spoilage under natural daylight environment. In applications regarding beef preservation, the film packaging can increase the storage life of beef to five days in comparison to conventional polyethylene packaging which has a storage life of three days. This novel bionic film offers promising future for sustainable and eco-friendly consumable containment solutions.