Establishing a Novel Packaging Film by Longan Seed and Tea Polyphenols: Properties and Preservation Action

In the present study, for valuable utilization, longan seed was utilized as a matrix to establish a packaging film with tea polyphenols, and its properties and preservation action were further determined. With addition of tea polyphenols, the elongation at break of longan seed film were improved (from 12.0 to 14.6%). Meanwhile, the thermal stability, antioxidant capability, water vapor permeability (from 2.42 to 1.33 × 10–10 g·m–1·s–1·Pa–1), and oxygen permeability (from 2.79 to 2.64 × 10–16 g·m–1·s–1·Pa–1) of longan seed film were ameliorated with tea polyphenols. By using fresh-cut apples as a model, longan seed film with tea polyphenols exhibited significant inhibition on the enzymatic browning of the fresh-cut apples during storage. Furthermore, it inhibited the decrease of total phenol content and increase of soluble solid content of fresh-cut apples. All results suggest that the longan seed film with tea polyphenols shows the potential to protect the freshness of fruits and vegetables in the food industry.