Active biodegradable films based on the whole potato peel incorporated with bacterial cellulose and curcumin

Abstract Development of biodegradable food packaging using biomass based materials derived from agricultural wastes has been a trend in recent years. The biopolymer films were prepared using 3% and 5% (w/w) potato peel (PP) powder. Bacterial cellulose (BC) (0, 5, 10 and 15% based on PP powder) was added as a reinforcement agent. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed that 10% BC had a promising compatibility with the PP matrix. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the crystallinity and the thermal stability of films did not change with BC addition. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) indicated the hydrogen bonding interactions between the PP matrix and BC in the films. BC addition significantly improved the tensile strength (TS), but reduced their water vapor permeability (WVP), oxygen permeability (OP) and moisture content (MC) of the PP films. Addition of curcumin further increased the antioxidant properties of the PP films. The PP films with 1–5% curcumin significantly reduced lipid oxidation in the fresh pork during storage with lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content.