Preparation and characterization of TiO2-Ag loaded fish gelatin-chitosan antibacterial composite film for food packaging

Abstract In this study, fish gelatin and chitosan were used as the film-forming substrate, and different concentrations of TiO2-Ag were added to prepare composite films. The physicochemical characteristics and microstructure of the films were studied. The results showed that the addition of TiO2-Ag significantly increased the water solubility of the film. When the TiO2-Ag concentration was increased to 0.5%, the film had the best antibacterial ability and the lowest light transmittance (54.6%), but the tensile strength of the film was the lowest, decreased from 17.39 MPa to 9.014 MPa. The water vapor permeability of film first decreased and then increased, and the minimum value was 2.63 × 10−12 g·cm/cm2·s·Pa when the concentration of TiO2-Ag was 0.4%. XRD, XPS, and ATR-FTIR results showed that the presence of TiO2-Ag crystals in the film could enhance the interaction between the components, and FE-SEM results showed that the film had a very smooth and uniform surface. In general, FG/Ch/TiO2-Ag composite film is expected to be used in the food packaging industry.