Pectin blended with cellulose nanofiber (CNF) sourced from wood pulp has excellent potential for modified atmosphere packaging (MAP), as demonstrated with refrigerated or sliced fruits enclosed in parchment coated with pectin-CNF composites. Addition of sodium borate (NaB) augments the antioxidant capacity of the composite, most likely through the generation of unsaturated pectic acid units. Packaging materials coated with pectin-CNF-NaB composites demonstrate better humidity regulation in refrigerated spaces over a 3-week period relative to uncoated controls (50% less variation), with improved preservation of strawberries as well as a reduction in the oxidative browning of sliced apples. Pectin-CNF films are both biorenewable and biodegradable as confirmed by their extensive decomposition in soil over several weeks, establishing their potential as a sustainable MAP material. Lastly, self-standing films are mechanically robust at 80% RH with tensile strength and toughness as high as 150 MPa and 8.5 MJ/m2 respectively. These values are on par with other bioplastic composites and support the practical utility of pectin-CNF composites in functional packaging applications.

Recently, there has been an increasing interest in biodegradable films for extending food's shelf life. This study developed pectin-potato starch-based films incorporating varying pyrogallol concentrations and evaluated shelf life their physical, antioxidant, mechanical, optical, antibacterial, structural, biodegradation, and shelf-life properties. Among the tested films (F1, pectin; F2, pectin + potato starch; F3, pectin + potato starch + 0.5%pyrogallol; and F4, pectin + potato starch + 1%pyrogallol), F4 exhibited superior antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus (42 mm), Klebsiella pneumoniae (20.5 mm), and Escherichia coli (25.5 mm), antioxidant activity (AA) (95% (diphenylpicrylhydrazyl), 76% (metal chelating activity), and 87% (hydroxyl radical scavenging assay)), mechanical, and soil biodegradation. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy confirmed biocompatibility, whereas differential scanning calorimetry studies showed thermal stability. Shelf-life studies on tomatoes at 30 degrees C demonstrated that F4 film coating extended shelf life to 21 days by reducing weight loss (14.5%), total phenolic content (25 mg/100 g), AA (53.5%), firmness (46 N), and titratable acidity (0.38%) while maintaining the total soluble solids, pH, lycopene content, color, and microbial inhibition. This study introduces a novel active biodegradable film with enhanced antimicrobial, mechanical, and antioxidant properties for sustainable food packaging applications.

Biopackaging films, such as those made from Pectin, are increasingly recognized for their sustainability in fruit preservation. This study utilizes Pectin derived from grapefruit peels to create films using evaporation casting. The research investigates factors, including Pectin concentration, sorbitol, calcium ions, and acetic acid. Film morphological and structural characterizations were performed using field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy, and attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). Mechanical properties such as tensile strength (TS) and elongation at break (EAB), as well as physical properties like water vapor transmission rates (WVTR), soil biodegradation, and antibacterial capacity, were evaluated for both Pectin and Pectin/AgNPs films. The results revealed that acetic acid at a concentration of 6.67 g/L converted high methoxyl Pectin to low methoxyl Pectin, which improved gel formation. The optimal film formulation consisted of 10 g/L Pectin, 0.054 g/L calcium ions, and 5 g/L sorbitol, which enhanced film mechanical strength and soil decomposition capacity. Pectin/AgNPs films showed effective antibacterial activity against both Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. Additionally, weight retention and sensory tests demonstrated that Pectin/AgNPs films successfully preserved cherry tomatoes for 10 days. Overall, Pectin and Pectin/AgNPs films show significant promise for fruit preservation, emphasizing their sustainability and effectiveness.

Microbial seed coatings serve as effective, labor-saving, and ecofriendly means of controlling soil-borne plant diseases. However, the survival of microbial agents on seed surfaces and in the rhizosphere remains a crucial challenge. In this work, we embedded a biocontrol bacteria (Bacillus subtilis ZF71) in sodium alginate (SA)/pectin (PC) hydrogel as a seed coating agent to control Fusarium root rot in cucumber. The formula of SA/PC hydrogel was optimized with the highest coating uniformity of 90 % in cucumber seeds. SA/PC hydrogel was characterized using rheological, gel content, and water content tests, thermal gravimetric analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Bacillus subtilis ZF71 within the SA/PC hydrogel network formed a biofilm-like structure with a high viable cell content (8.30 log CFU/seed). After 37 days of storage, there was still a high number of Bacillus subtilis ZF71 cells (7.23 log CFU/seed) surviving on the surface of cucumber seeds. Pot experiments revealed a higher control efficiency against Fusarium root rot in ZF71-SA/PC cucumber seeds (53.26 %) compared with roots irrigated with a ZF71 suspension. Overall, this study introduced a promising microbial seed coating strategy based on biofilm formation that improved performance against soil-borne plant diseases.

This study targets explicitly finding an alternative to petroleum-based plastic films that burden the environment, which is a high priority. Hence, polymeric films were prepared with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) (4%), pectin (2%), and polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) (0.5%) with different concentrations of thymol (0.3%, 0.9%, 1.8%, 3%, and 5%) and glycerol as a plasticizer by solution casting technique. The prepared films were tested for mechanical, optical, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties. Film F5 (CMC + P + PHB + 0.9%thymol) showed an excellent tensile strength of 15 MPa, Young's modulus of 395 MPa, antioxidant activity (AA) (92%), rapid soil biodegradation (21 days), and strong antimicrobial activity against bacterial and fungal cultures such as Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Aspergillus niger, and Aspergillus flavus. The thymol content increase in films F6 (1.8%), F7 (3%), and F8 (5%) displayed a decrease in mechanical properties due to thymol's hydrophobicity. For shelf life studies on tomatoes, F2, a film without thymol (poor antimicrobial and antioxidant activities), F5 (film with superior mechanical, optical, antimicrobial, and antioxidant properties), and F7 (film with low mechanical properties) were selected. Film F5 coatings on tomato fruit enhanced the shelf life of up to 15 days by preventing weight loss, preserving firmness, and delaying changes in biochemical constituents like lycopene, phenols, and AA. Based on the mechanical, optical, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and shelf life results, the film F5 is suitable for active food packaging and preservation.

This research incorporated grapefruit peel-derived Pectin and Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) into the Chitosan-based bio-packaging film to improve its antibacterial efficacy and physical properties such as moisture content, swelling degree, and biodegradability in soil. Systematic investigations revealed that preservative films made from Chitosan 1.75 wt %, Pectin 0.55 wt %, and AgNP 31 ppm have shown a 17.5-fold reduction in swelling degree in water compared to Chitosan films. At the same time, the anti-gram-positive and anti-gram-negative bacteria capacity, the ability to retain moisture, and biodegradability in soil, have been enhanced. Low swelling degrees provided better barrier performance, extending the shelf life of packaged products by preventing the ingress of oxygen, and water vapor; on the other hand, higher moisture content improved the flexibility and handling characteristics of packaging films, making them easier to manipulate during packaging processes. These findings herald a sustainable option for eco-friendly food packaging, a critical step toward minimizing plastic waste and strengthening food preservation procedures using Chitosan-based antibacterial films enhanced with natural additives. This manuscript explores the incorporation of Pectin extracted from Vietnamese grapefruit peels and silver nanoparticles for the improvement of antibacterial and physical properties of Chitosan-based film as an alternative packaging material. The morphological and structural characteristics of formed films including Chitosan, Chitosan/Pectin, and Chitosan/Pectin/AgNPs films are determined through field emission scanning electron microscopy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (FE-SEM-EDX) and attenuated total reflectance Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The mechanical properties of formed films are determined through tensile strength (TS), and elongation at break (EAB). The antibacterial effectiveness of the formed packaging films is assessed through their effectiveness against Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli) and Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis). Especially, the films' physical properties are determined through water contact angle (WCA), moisture content, water solubility, swelling degree (SD), the biodegradation capacity in the soil, and the actual green grape preservation ability of all formed films through the sensory state of the green grapes after 15 days of preservation. Our research concluded that preservative films made from Chitosan 1.75 wt %, Pectin 0.55 wt %, and AgNP 31 ppm have shown a 17.5-fold reduction in swelling degree in water compared to Chitosan films. At the same time, the ability to retain moisture, and biodegradability in soil, especially, the antibacterial ability, have been enhanced. These findings herald a sustainable option for eco-friendly food packaging, a critical step toward minimizing plastic waste and strengthening food preservation procedures through using Chitosan-based antibacterial films enhanced with natural additives. image

Sustainable agriculture initiatives are needed to ensure the food security of the people all over the world. Soilless cultivation methods using hydrogels may give a revolutionary response as well as a more ecological and productive alternative to conventional farming. This study attempted extraction of pectin from the rind of albedo yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis var. flavicarpa Degener)and hydrogels from pectin and activated carbon was compared with pure pectin hydrogel; Pectin- Activated Carbon hydrogels (PAC) showed a microporous structure with excellent hydrophilicity and showed superior water holding capacity. Then the prepared hydrogels were examined with various instrumental techniques like FTIR, SEM, XRD, Raman, BET and rheological properties. In the BET analysis, PAC3 shows the highest surface area of 28.771 m2/g when compared to PAC0 at 15.063 m2/g. The germination experiments were performed using mung beans. This study provides an opportunity for the application of pectin hydrogels in agriculture field specifically for home garden or rooftop cultivation.

The objective of this study is to seek correlations between phosphate fertilization rates in potato cultivation and the chemical composition and physicochemical properties of the potato starch. Potato starches are prepared from the potato tubers cultivated in two different districts in Hokkaido, Japan, with different soil characteristics using varied phosphate fertilization rates. The chemical composition of the potato starches such as the amylose, phosphorus, and potassium contents and their physicochemical properties such as the swelling power, solubility, and pasting and thermal properties are evaluated. The results show that the phosphate fertilization rate has a moderate and positive correlation with the amylose content, while no correlations are found with any other chemical composition and physicochemical properties, including the phosphorus content. One plausible explanation for the lack of the correlation between the phosphate fertilization rate and the phosphorus content in the starch is that a sufficient amount of phosphorus has already been accumulated in the soils to phosphorylate the starch to the highest possible degree without further application of phosphate fertilizers. The present results imply that reducing the phosphate fertilization rate in potato cultivation in the studied fields has no negative impact on the chemical composition and physicochemical properties of potato starch. The present study demonstrates that the phosphate fertilization rate during potato cultivation in the examined commercial farm fields has a positive correlation with the amylose content of the potato starch but no negative impacts on its phosphorus content, swelling power, solubility, pasting properties, and thermal properties.image

In this paper, pectin-based plastic films were developed by grafting vanillin to pectin chains and introducing Fe3+ ions. The mechanical properties, thermal stability, moisture resistance, UV-light barrier property, biodegrad-ability, and practical application of fabricated plastic film were evaluated. Results confirmed the successful grafting of vanillin and the presence of hydrogen bonds and metal-ligand bonds, giving the plastic film highest fracture stress of 41.68 +/- 4.10 MPa, which was nearly 481.31% enhancement than that of neat pectin film. Additionally, the thermal stability, moisture resistance, and UV-blocking property (200-400 nm) of fabricated plastic film were significantly improved. Moreover, the plastic film exhibited satisfying processability, which can be processed to bag and appearing excellent food preservation ability. After use, the plastic film can be completely biodegradable in soil (degradation time approximate to 7 weeks) and seawater without manual interference. Thus, our proposed pectin-based plastic film can be recommended as a non-polluting and sustainable food packaging substitute.

The development of sustainable materials from the valorization of waste is a good alternative to reducing the negative environmental impact of plastic packaging. The objectives of this study were to develop and characterize pectin-based composite films incorporated with cork or cork with either coffee grounds or walnut shells, as well as to test the films' genotoxicity, antioxidant properties, and biodegradation capacity in soil and seawater. The addition of cork, coffee grounds, or walnut shells modified the films' characteristics. The results showed that those films were thicker (0.487 +/- 0.014 mm to 0.572 +/- 0.014 mm), more opaque (around 100%), darker (L* = 25.30 +/- 0.78 to 33.93 +/- 0.84), and had a higher total phenolic content (3.17 +/- 0.01 mg GA/g to 4.24 +/- 0.02 mg GA/g). On the other hand, the films incorporated only with cork showed higher values of elongation at break (32.24 +/- 1.88% to 36.30 +/- 3.25%) but lower tensile strength (0.91 +/- 0.19 MPa to 1.09 +/- 0.08 MPa). All the films presented more heterogeneous and rougher microstructures than the pectin film. This study also revealed that the developed films do not contain DNA-reactive substances and that they are biodegradable in soil and seawater. These positive properties could subsequently make the developed films an interesting eco-friendly food packaging solution that contributes to the valorization of organic waste and by-products, thus promoting the circular economy and reducing the environmental impact of plastic materials.