Facile syntheis of the biodegradable carboxymethyl cellulose based film with high fruit preservation performance

Abstract

A huge amount of plastic waste (containing plastic bags and food preservation film) has been discharged into the environment every year, resulting in serious environmental pollution. The preparation of biodegradable materials is considered one of the promising methods for altering plastic materials. In this study, natural polymers such as carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and pectin were used to synthesize the biodegradable film applied for fruit preservation. A series of films were prepared with various pectin-CMC ratios, which led to the differences in the properties of the films. Among them, the film with pectin/CMC ratio = 30/70 (M30/70) exhibits the lowest water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), moisture content, and total soluble mass, which are beneficial for the inhibition of water transportation, slow down the loss of water, and protect the fruit from microorganisms. As a result, the M30/70 exhibits the best preservation performance for grape and strawberry during 25 days and 4 days of storage, respectively.