Carboxymethyl cellulose-based antioxidant and antimicrobial active packaging film incorporated with curcumin and zinc oxide

Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-based functional films were prepared by incorporating curcumin (0.5 and 1.0 wt% based on CMC), ZnO (1 wt% based on CMC). The FE-SEM showed that the ZnO and curcumin were uniformly dispersed in the CMC film. The CMC/curcumin/ZnO composite films showed significantly increased UV-barrier without much sacrifice of transparency, and they also showed increased water vapor barrier properties. The mechanical properties of the composite film were slightly reduced by the addition of 1 wt% curcumin, while unchanged by the addition of 1 wt% ZnO, but improved by the combined addition of curcumin (0.5 wt%) and ZnO (1 wt%). CMC films incorporated with curcumin showed strong antioxidant activity, while films incorporated with ZnO showed strong antimicrobial activity against foodborne pathogenic bacteria. The CMC film with the addition of ZnO (1 wt%) and curcumin (1 wt%) (CMC/Cur1.0/ZnO1.0) was optimal for producing functional films with antioxidant and antibacterial properties.