Multifunctional and antimicrobial carboxymethyl cellulose-based active hydrogel film for fruits packaging and preservation

Hydrogel-based film materials have been extensively used in the field of food packaging, whereas the water loss issue and relatively simple function of hydrogel films severely limited their practical application. Herein, we successfully prepared a sort of multi-functional sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/tannic acid (TA)/ginkgo biloba leaf extract (EGBL) hydrogel film (CPTE) and designed as active food preservation system. The water content of the resultant hydrogel film remains >97% when placed in air for one month after solvent displacement. Furthermore, the CPT0.1E1 hydrogel film possesses satisfied UV blocking, antioxidation (82.11%), oxygen barrier (7.91 cm3/(m2·24 h 0.1 MPa)) and controlled release performances. When applied as packaging film, the CPT0.1E1 hydrogel film could effectively prolong the shelf life of strawberry for 7 days. This work is expected to bring a novel strategy for establishing the next generation of hydrogel films-based fruits packaging and preservation with satisfied anti-dehydrating and multi-functional properties.