Fabrication of Active Food Packaging Materials Using Natural Polymers by Electrospray for Shelf-Life Extension of Cherry Tomatoes

Active packaging materials fabricated using natural polymers is increasing in recent years. Electrohydrodynamic processing has drawn attention in active food packaging due to its potential in fabricating materials with advanced structural and functional properties. These materials have the significant capability in enhancing food’s quality, safety, and shelf-life extension. Through electrospray, capsules can be generated to encapsulate bioactive compounds for active packaging applications. Our research utilized plant polysaccharides (starch, yellow mustard mucilage) and bioactive compounds (thymol, carvacrol) to fabricate active packaging materials using electrospray. We hypothesized that the synergistic interactions between yellow mustard mucilage and potato starch could modify the releasing performance of bioactive compounds in encapsulated particles, thus be used to extend shelf life of fresh produce. The resultant materials were used for antimicrobial active packaging as the polymer matrix assisted in controlling the release behavior of bioactive compounds. Our study optimized the emulsion’s formulation based on evaluating the viscosity, surface tension, and conductivity of the emulsion fluid before subjecting to fabricate the uniform non-porous nanostructures using electrospray. The generated capsules’ morphological property, encapsulation efficiency, molecular interaction of matrix materials and matrix-core, antimicrobial property, and the release kinetics of bioactives using mathematical models were explored. Further, the capsules’ application on shelf-life extension towards color, texture, and weight-loss behavior of cherry tomatoes were investigated. The results highly recommended that the combination of natural polymers is a promising approach in fabricating nano- or micro bioactive particles in food packaging applications