Pomegranate peel-derived carbon dot-enriched gum arabic/guar gum multifunctional films for chicken meat preservation

Abstract

Meat packaging poses severe challenges to the food industry because of the highly perishable and biologically active nature of meat. The principal role of meat packaging is to prevent moisture loss, exclude foreign odors and flavors, and reduce the effects of oxidation. To ensure these targets are met, a smart packaging material is crucial to the meat industry. The present study proposes an innovative approach to develop multifunctional meat packaging films enriched with carbon dots (CDs). Pomegranate peel-derived CDs (i.e. pCDs) were fabricated using a facile hydrothermal method. The pCDs were characterized by UV, photoluminescence, infrared and transmission electron spectroscopy techniques. The pCDs were reinforced in a gum arabic/guar gum composite matrix and formulated for meat preservation. The incorporation of produced pCDs augmented the mechanical properties, barrier property, UV-blocking attributes and thermal stability of the resulting nanocomposite films. The nanocomposite films exhibited good antioxidant activities against DPPH and ABTS radicals. For assessing the food preservation behavior, the leaching of pCDs was studied in different food simulant media. The mechanism of pCD release mostly adhered to the anomalous nature of release from the polymer matrix. The excellent biocompatibility of the pCD-reinforced films on 3T3-L1 cells indicated the nontoxic nature after 72 h. The shelf-life of chicken meat was observed to be extended significantly by using the GA/GG@pCD³ film for active packaging. These results demonstrate the viability of the developed nanocomposite film as a promising active food packaging material.