Sensor-integrated biocomposite membrane for food quality assessment.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Food Science
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Biopolymers are increasingly utilized in food packaging due to their compatibility and consumer acceptance.
• Integrating natural pigments into biopolymers offers potential for developing smart packaging that indicates food quality.
• Assessing the quality of perishable foods like milk is crucial for food safety and waste reduction.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a biodegradable composite membrane using starch, chitosan, and anthocyanin.
• To evaluate the potential of this biocomposite membrane as a chromogenic biosensor for detecting milk spoilage.
• To characterize the physical and chemical properties of the developed membrane for food packaging applications.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a biodegradable composite membrane from starch and chitosan, incorporating anthocyanin.
• Utilizing atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to analyze surface morphology and roughness.
• Employing Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis to determine pore size.
• Measuring water vapor transmissibility (WVT) and water solubility to assess membrane properties.

Main Results:

• The developed biocomposite membrane exhibited a smooth surface with a pore size of 4.21 nm.
• The membrane demonstrated high water resistance with low water vapor transmission rates (4.616E-09 to 1.147E-08 g/h Pa.mm).
• Water solubility was low (5.6-5.8% at 25-37 °C), indicating good stability in aqueous environments.

Conclusions:

• The starch-chitosan-anthocyanin biocomposite membrane shows promise as an environmentally friendly substrate for biosensing.
• Its chromogenic response can be effectively used to assess milk spoilage, indicating a potential application in smart food packaging.
• The membrane's favorable physical properties support its suitability for advanced food packaging solutions.