Sustainable chitosan nanocomposite films reinforced bio silica for UV protective and active food packaging.
- 1Dyeing, Printing and Auxiliary Department, National Research Centre, 33 El-Bohouth St. (Former El-Tahrir St.), Dokki, P.O. 12622, Giza, Egypt. [email protected].
- 2Cellulose and Paper Department, National Research Centre, 33 El-Bohouth St. (Former El-Tahrir St.), Dokki, P.O. 12622, Giza, Egypt.
- 3Cellulose and Paper Department, National Research Centre, 33 El-Bohouth St. (Former El-Tahrir St.), Dokki, P.O. 12622, Giza, Egypt. [email protected].
Abstract
Chitosan was integrated with rice husk-derived bio-silica nanoparticles, including both silica-based nanocellulose (NC) and pure silica nanoparticles (SiO₂), to develop environmentally friendly active packaging films designated as CS@NC-SiO₂, valorizing agricultural waste within a circular-economy framework. The bio-silica Particles were prepared by citric-acid pretreatment followed by calcination at 600 °C. Films containing 0.25-1 wt% SiO₂, with and without NC, were systematically evaluated, and both the nanoparticles and the resulting nanocomposites were characterized by SEM, EDX, TEM, FTIR, and XRD. The optimized CS@NC-SiO₂ film, loaded with 0.75% SiO₂, exhibited marked improvements in several key properties. It recorded char residue 51% at 700 °C (compared with 39% for pure chitosan). The water contact angle increased to 94.6°, and water-vapor permeability fell to 1.146 g/(h·m·atm). it showed better mechanical properties than the pure chitosan film: tensile strength rose to 25.37 MPa, elongation at break to 27%, and Young's modulus to 593 MPa. The same film provided strong UV protection (UPF 57.8% (3.0% UVA and 1.8% UVB transmission) and showed high antibacterial activity (98.12% inhibition of Escherichia coli and 61.70% inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus. The CPS⁺ accelerated weathering tester was used to evaluate the performance of the fabricated films under UV irradiation and to assess their impact on the shelf life and weight stability of cherry tomatoes. fabricated films under UV irradiation and to assess their impact on the shelf life and weight stability of cherry tomatoes. The results revealed that the CS@NC-SiO₂ film limited cherry tomato weight loss to 16.12% after 21 days of storage versus 31.74-71% for the other formulations, while effectively acting as UV The formulations acted as effective UV blockers and provided active antimicrobial properties, successfully preserving the quality of the packaged cherry tomatoes for up to 21 days. This work delivers sustainable, low-cost active packaging films with strong potential for food preservation.Clinical trial number : Not applicable.
Related
- Silver-Bacterial Cellulose-Areca catechu Extract Nanocomposite Biofilm for Sustainable Food Packaging: Synthesis, Characterization, and Antibacterial Activity.
- Starch-Based Green Packaging for Cleaner Production: Degradation Control, Nanocomposite Development, and Life-Cycle Sustainability.
- Design and application of soy protein isolate films reinforced with Janus nanoparticles for active packaging of minced meat
- Chitosan-based films and coatings for active and intelligent food packaging: Formulation strategies, sensing mechanisms, and quality monitoring
- Effect of ChCl:Glycolic Acid Molar Ratio and Plant Extract Incorporation on the Structure–Property Relationships of Chitosan Active Packaging Films
BibTeX
@article{elshall2026sustainable,
title = {{Sustainable chitosan nanocomposite films reinforced bio silica for UV protective and active food packaging.}},
author = {Fatma N El-Shall and Amal H Abdel Kader and Mohamed A Diab and Mona A El-Sabour and Abeer M Adel},
journal = {Discover nano},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1186/s11671-026-04959-y},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42911290},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Sustainable chitosan nanocomposite films reinforced bio silica for UV protective and active food packaging.
AU - Fatma N El-Shall
AU - Amal H Abdel Kader
AU - Mohamed A Diab
AU - Mona A El-Sabour
AU - Abeer M Adel
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/22
JO - Discover nano
DO - 10.1186/s11671-026-04959-y
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42911290
AB - Chitosan was integrated with rice husk-derived bio-silica nanoparticles, including both silica-based nanocellulose (NC) and pure silica nanoparticles (SiO₂), to develop environmentally friendly active packaging films designated as CS@NC-SiO₂, valorizing agricultural waste within a circular-economy framework. The bio-silica Particles were prepared by citric-acid pretreatment followed by calcination at 600 °C. Films containing 0.25-1 wt% SiO₂, with and without NC, were systematically evaluated, and both the nanoparticles and the resulting nanocomposites were characterized by SEM, EDX, TEM, FTIR, and XRD. The optimized CS@NC-SiO₂ film, loaded with 0.75% SiO₂, exhibited marked improvements in several key properties. It recorded char residue 51% at 700 °C (compared with 39% for pure chitosan). The water contact angle increased to 94.6°, and water-vapor permeability fell to 1.146 g/(h·m·atm). it showed better mechanical properties than the pure chitosan film: tensile strength rose to 25.37 MPa, elongation at break to 27%, and Young's modulus to 593 MPa. The same film provided strong UV protection (UPF 57.8% (3.0% UVA and 1.8% UVB transmission) and showed high antibacterial activity (98.12% inhibition of Escherichia coli and 61.70% inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus. The CPS⁺ accelerated weathering tester was used to evaluate the performance of the fabricated films under UV irradiation and to assess their impact on the shelf life and weight stability of cherry tomatoes. fabricated films under UV irradiation and to assess their impact on the shelf life and weight stability of cherry tomatoes. The results revealed that the CS@NC-SiO₂ film limited cherry tomato weight loss to 16.12% after 21 days of storage versus 31.74-71% for the other formulations, while effectively acting as UV The formulations acted as effective UV blockers and provided active antimicrobial properties, successfully preserving the quality of the packaged cherry tomatoes for up to 21 days. This work delivers sustainable, low-cost active packaging films with strong potential for food preservation.Clinical trial number : Not applicable.
SN - 2731-9229
ER -