Development of a biodegradable intelligent packaging film based on Hibiscus sabdariffa anthocyanins for pH-sensitive food freshness monitoring

Subject Areas : Journal of Medicinal Herbs, "J. Med Herb" (Formerly known as Journal of Herbal Drugs or J. Herb Drug)

mahdi fallah jelodar ¹ , Aazam Aarabi ^{2 *} , Hassan Zaki Dizaji ³ , Majid Ghashang ⁴

1 - Department of mathematic, Firuzkuh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Firuzkuh, Iran
2 - Department of Food Science and Technology, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran;
3 - Department of Biosystems Engineering, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran;
4 - 4Department of Chemistry, Najafabad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Najafabad, Iran;

Received: 2023-09-26 Accepted : 2024-01-22 Published : 2025-02-13

Keywords:

Abstract :

The main purpose of this study was to develop a pH-sensitive biodegradable intelligent packaging film available with Hibiscus sabdariffa anthocyanin extract as a freshness indicator. It was formulated as biopolymeric matrices composites based on wheat gluten (WG) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and Hibiscus sabdariffa anthocyanin extract was used as a natural colorimetric sensor. Here, anthocyanins were extracted from Hibiscus sabdariffa and characterized at wide range of pH. According to present results, obvious color discrepancies at different pH values were observed including red to pink (pH 2-3), pink to purple (pH 5-6) and purple to yellow (pH 7– 8). Overall, these results validate the image-based cloud-shaped color variations of Hibiscus sabdariffa anthocyanins as efficient indicators for real-time food spoilage monitoring through packaging. Moreover, the solubility, mechanical properties and water resistance of the film containing the anthocyanins were studied and the findings showed that the concentration of WG and CMC played a significant role in the stability and performance of the film. These findings indicated that the heat-responsive intelligent packaging film made from WG and CMC was an environmentally benign substitute for the thermoplasitic synthetic film with the further benefit of reduced plastic pollution. Further research should be directed toward improving the mechanical characteristics of the film and investigating its practical application in different food packaging conditions.