Slow-release antibacterial film loaded with clove essential oil based on tapioca starch used for bread preservation

White pollution is an increasingly serious concern. Consequently, the development of green degradable packaging materials has become a research focus. We incorporated different concentrations of clove essential oil (Ceo) (0 %, 0.5 %, 0.75 %, 1.0 %, and 1.25 %, w/w) into modified tapioca starch to formulate bacteriostatic compound films. The test results indicated that the barrier properties of the Ceo-series composite films surpassed those of the tapioca starch (TS) film. Specifically, the oxygen permeability of the 1.25 % Ceo film was 7.31 g/m²·s, the water vapor permeability decreased to 1.35 g/m²·s, and the oil permeability was reduced to 0.15 g mm m^-2 d^-1. In addition, the 1.25 % Ceo film exhibited inhibition zones of 4.23 ± 0.28 mm against Staphylococcus aureus and 5.02 ± 0.31 mm against Escherichia coli. In the sustained release test, the Ceo-series composite films demonstrated a uniform and stable release. Furthermore, their degradability reached approximately 70 % by the 20th day. The 1.25 % Ceo film extended the shelf-life of bread to 9 days, exceeding than that of the commercially available polyethylene (PE) plastic wrap. These results highlight that Ceo-series composite films possess outstanding characteristics as active food packaging materials, particularly for noncontact food preservation.