Feasibility of active biobased films produced using red chilto wastes to improve the protection of fresh salmon fillets via a circular economy approach

By-products of a native fruit of the Argentina northwest have been valorized for the extraction of both pectin and bioactive extracts with the aim of developing antioxidant films with potential application as food packaging materials. Initially, the composition and antioxidant properties of polyphenol-rich, anthocyanin-rich, and pectin extracts obtained from the seed and peel of Solanum betaceum (chilto) red fruits were characterized. Based on their higher antioxidant properties, peel extracts were selected as active compounds and incorporated in a film-forming matrix based on the pectin extract. Dry films were evaluated concerning their morphological, optical, thermal, mechanical, and water barrier properties. The developed antioxidant films were directly applied on salmon fillets, effectively improving their shelf-life and reducing lipid and protein oxidation during 10 days of storage at 4 °C. It was also found that the films containing peel-polyphenolic extract were the most promising, in agreement with their better barrier properties.