Novel intelligent films containing anthocyanin and phycocyanin for nondestructively tracing fish spoilage

Potential pH-responsive films were developed based on incorporating anthocyanin, phycocyanin, and a mixture of anthocyanin-phycocyanin (at a ratio of 3:1 v/v) within composite gelatin (1.5 g / 100 g film solution)/soybean polysaccharide (2.5 g / 100 g film solution) matrices. FTIR and SEM assessments certified the incorporation of the pigments into the film matrices. All the colorimetric films were highly sensitive when exposed to headspace ammonia, except the phycocyanin-incorporated film. Moreover, the fabricated intelligent films were conducted to trace the spoilage process of grass carp. An obvious relationship between the color (L*, a*, b*, ΔE) of indicators and pH, TVB-N, bacterial growth, ATP-related compounds, and K-value of the fish was observed. The film incorporated with mixed Ipomoea nil extract and phycocyanin possessed the best color variations (dark orange, pink, dark blue) with the degree of fish spoilage. Therefore, this intelligent film can be considered a promising sensor for monitoring fish freshness non-destructively.