Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Development and characterization of biodegradable hydroxyethyl cellulose/polyacrylic acid films loaded with pomegranate peel extract with antibacterial activity

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Biomass Conversion and Biorefinery Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

From an academic standpoint, scientists all around the globe have been paying close attention to the use of inexpensive, naturally occurring polymers. Given this consideration, the research aimed to integrate hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) and polyacrylic acid (PA), to produce biodegradable films for food packaging. Different concentrations of pomegranate peel (PoP) extract were incorporated into the film solutions to augment the antimicrobial effectiveness of these films. As a result, four film products were obtained by incorporating four different concentrations (2, 4, 6, and 8 mL) of PoP extract into the HEC/PA film matrix. These films were coded as PoP-1@HEC/PA film, PoP-2@HEC/PA film, PoP-3@HEC/PA film, and PoP-4@HEC/PA film, which were compared to the film without PoP extract (HEC/PA film). The film products were characterized, and the data confirmed the deposition of PoP extract onto the surface of the HEC/PA film. The water contact angle of HEC/PA film was initially measured as 77.3°, which decreased to 71.4° with the addition of PoP extract (PoP-4@HEC/PA film). These values remained above the threshold of 20°, indicating their suitability for food packaging and preservation. Furthermore, the water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of PoP-4@HEC/PA film was lower compared to HEC/PA film. The surface area covered by the deposited PoP extract particles increased with the higher concentrations of the extract in the polymer films. Biodegradability evaluations demonstrated that PoP extract enhanced the degradation of the HEC and PA polymer films over time. Contact angle assessments also indicated the hydrophobic nature of the resulting films, with contact angles exceeding 60°. Antimicrobial studies were conducted on the PoP extract against four different foodborne species. The results revealed strong microstatic effects of PoP extract against the targeted microbes. The susceptibility of various bacterial strains to PoP extracts varied, with the methanolic PoP extract producing inhibitory zones of 30.3, 25.3, 22.6, and 18 mm against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Candida albicans, and Aspergillus niger, respectively, in the disc diffusion assay. The antibacterial evaluation was further performed by incorporating different concentrations of PoP extract into the HEC/PA film. The results demonstrated that PoP-3@HEC/PA and PoP-4@HEC/PA films exhibited the highest inhibitory effects. Notably, complete reduction of bacteria was achieved after exposure to PoP-4@HEC/PA film. Based on the promising findings, the developed biodegradable films hold potential for eco-friendly food packaging, as they can extend the shelf life of packaged food products.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

All the datasets used and/or analyzed in this study are available in the manuscript, and supplementary information can be requested from the corresponding author.

References

  1. Xie Y-Y, Hu X-H, Zhang Y-W et al (2020) Development and antibacterial activities of bacterial cellulose/graphene oxide-CuO nanocomposite films. Carbohydr Polym 229:115456. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbpol.2019.115456

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Moshood TD, Nawanir G, Mahmud F et al (2022) Sustainability of biodegradable plastics: new problem or solution to solve the global plastic pollution? Curr Res Green Sustain Chem 5:100273. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crgsc.2022.100273

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Sirviö JA, Honkaniemi S, Visanko M, Liimatainen H (2015) Composite films of poly(vinyl alcohol) and bifunctional cross-linking cellulose nanocrystals. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 7:19691–19699. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.5b04879

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Kritchenkov AS, Egorov AR, Kurasova MN et al (2019) Novel non-toxic high efficient antibacterial azido chitosan derivatives with potential application in food coatings. Food Chem 301:125247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2019.125247

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Zhu H, Cheng J-H, Han Z, Han Z (2021) Cold plasma enhanced natural edible materials for future food packaging: structure and property of polysaccharides and proteins-based films. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr:1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2021.2002258

  6. Mehta MJ, Kumar A (2019) Ionic liquid assisted gelatin films: green, UV shielding, antioxidant, and antibacterial food packaging materials. ACS Sustain Chem Eng 7:8631–8636. https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.9b00423

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Khosravi A, Fereidoon A, Khorasani MM et al (2020) Soft and hard sections from cellulose-reinforced poly(lactic acid)-based food packaging films: a critical review. Food Packag Shelf Life 23:100429. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fpsl.2019.100429

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Gutiérrez-Del-Río I, Fernández J, Lombó F (2018) Plant nutraceuticals as antimicrobial agents in food preservation: terpenoids, polyphenols and thiols. Int J Antimicrob Agents 52:309–315. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2018.04.024

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Carocho M, Barreiro MF, Morales P, Ferreira ICFR (2014) Adding molecules to food, pros and cons: a review on synthetic and natural food additives. Compr Rev food Sci Food Saf 13:377–399

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. D’Amore T, Di Taranto A, Berardi G et al (2020) Sulfites in meat: occurrence, activity, toxicity, regulation, and detection. A comprehensive review. Compr Rev Food Sci Food Saf 19:2701–2720

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Singh B, Singh JP, Kaur A, Singh N (2019) Antimicrobial potential of pomegranate peel: a review. Int J Food Sci Technol 54:959–965. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijfs.13964

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Ambigaipalan P, de Camargo AC, Shahidi F (2016) Phenolic compounds of pomegranate byproducts (outer skin, mesocarp, divider membrane) and their antioxidant activities. J Agric Food Chem 64:6584–6604. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jafc.6b02950

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Fawole OA, Makunga NP, Opara UL (2012) Antibacterial, antioxidant and tyrosinase-inhibition activities of pomegranate fruit peel methanolic extract. BMC Complement Altern Med 12:200. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6882-12-200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Sorrenti V, Randazzo CL, Caggia C et al (2019) Beneficial effects of pomegranate peel extract and probiotics on pre-adipocyte differentiation. Front Microbiol 3(10):660. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00660

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Vilela C, Pinto RJB, Coelho J et al (2017) Bioactive chitosan/ellagic acid films with UV-light protection for active food packaging. Food Hydrocoll 73:120–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2017.06.037

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Liu Y, Ma Y, Liu Y et al (2022) Fabrication and characterization of pH-responsive intelligent films based on carboxymethyl cellulose and gelatin/curcumin/chitosan hybrid microcapsules for pork quality monitoring. Food Hydrocoll 124:107224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2021.107224

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Arkaban H, Barani M, Akbarizadeh MR et al (2022) Polyacrylic acid nanoplatforms: antimicrobial, tissue engineering, and cancer theranostic applications. Polymers (Basel) 14. https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14061259

  18. Abdelhedi O, Nasri R, Jridi M et al (2018) Composite bioactive films based on smooth-hound viscera proteins and gelatin: physicochemical characterization and antioxidant properties. Food Hydrocoll 74:176–186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2017.08.006

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Hanani ZAN, Yee FC, Nor-Khaizura MAR (2019) Effect of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peel powder on the antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of fish gelatin films as active packaging. Food Hydrocoll 89:253–259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2018.10.007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Moghadam M, Salami M, Mohammadian M et al (2020) Development of antioxidant edible films based on mung bean protein enriched with pomegranate peel. Food Hydrocoll 104:105735. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodhyd.2020.105735

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Cui H, Surendhiran D, Li C, Lin L (2020) Biodegradable zein active film containing chitosan nanoparticle encapsulated with pomegranate peel extract for food packaging. Food Packag Shelf Life 24:100511. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fpsl.2020.100511

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. He L, Lan W, Ahmed S et al (2019) Electrospun polyvinyl alcohol film containing pomegranate peel extract and sodium dehydroacetate for use as food packaging. Food Packag Shelf Life 22:100390. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fpsl.2019.100390

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Malviya S, Arvind JA, Hettiarachchy N (2014) Antioxidant and antibacterial potential of pomegranate peel extracts. J Food Sci Technol 51:4132–4137. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-013-0956-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Gómez-Caravaca AM, Verardo V, Toselli M et al (2013) Determination of the major phenolic compounds in pomegranate juices by HPLC–DAD–ESI-MS. J Agric Food Chem 61:5328–5337. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf400684n

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Yassin MT, Mostafa AA-F, Al Askar AA (2021) In vitro evaluation of biological activities and phytochemical analysis of different solvent extracts of Punica granatum L. (pomegranate) peels. Plants (Basel, Switzerland) 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10122742

  26. Derakhshan Z, Ferrante M, Tadi M et al (2018) Antioxidant activity and total phenolic content of ethanolic extract of pomegranate peels, juice and seeds. Food Chem Toxicol 114:108–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2018.02.023

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Gonelimali FD, Lin J, Miao W et al (2018) Antimicrobial properties and mechanism of action of some plant extracts against food pathogens and spoilage microorganisms. Front Microbiol 9:1639. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.01639

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Pandian CJ, Palanivel R, Dhanasekaran S (2016) Screening antimicrobial activity of nickel nanoparticles synthesized using Ocimum sanctum leaf extract. J Nanopart 2016(1):13. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/4694367

  29. Wang H, Wei D, Zheng A, Xiao H (2015) Soil burial biodegradation of antimicrobial biodegradable PBAT films. Polym Degrad Stab 116:14–22

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Liu M, Huang Z, Yang Y-J (2010) Analysis of biodegradability of three biodegradable mulching films. J Polym Environ 18:148–154

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Lavrič G, Oberlintner A, Filipova I et al (2021) Functional nanocellulose, alginate and chitosan nanocomposites designed as active film packaging materials. Polymers (Basel) 13:2523

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Gennadios A, Weller CL, Gooding CH (1994) Measurement errors in water vapor permeability of highly permeable, hydrophilic edible films. J Food Eng 21:395–409

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Kumar N, Daniloski D, Pratibha et al (2022) Pomegranate peel extract – a natural bioactive addition to novel active edible packaging. Food Res Int 156:111378. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2022.111378

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Singh B, Singh JP, Kaur A, Singh N (2018) Phenolic compounds as beneficial phytochemicals in pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peel: a review. Food Chem 261:75–86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.04.039

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Kruk J, Aboul-Enein BH, Duchnik E, Marchlewicz M (2022) Antioxidative properties of phenolic compounds and their effect on oxidative stress induced by severe physical exercise. J Physiol Sci 72:19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12576-022-00845-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. El-Hadary AE, Taha M (2020) Pomegranate peel methanolic-extract improves the shelf-life of edible-oils under accelerated oxidation conditions. Food Sci Nutr 8:1798–1811. https://doi.org/10.1002/fsn3.1391

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Abdollahzadeh S, Mashouf R, Mortazavi H et al (2011) Antibacterial and antifungal activities of Punica granatum peel extracts against oral pathogens. J Dent (Tehran) 8:1–6

    Google Scholar 

  38. Al-Zoreky NS (2009) Antimicrobial activity of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) fruit peels. Int J Food Microbiol 134:244–248. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2009.07.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Navarro-Pérez ML, Fernández-Calderón MC, Vadillo-Rodríguez V (2022) Decomposition of growth curves into growth rate and acceleration: a novel procedure to monitor bacterial growth and the time-dependent effect of antimicrobials. Appl Environ Microbiol 88:e0184921. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.01849-21

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Xie Y, He Y, Irwin PL et al (2011) Antibacterial activity and mechanism of action of zinc oxide nanoparticles against Campylobacter jejuni. Appl Environ Microbiol. https://doi.org/10.1128/AEM.02149-10

  41. Vollmer W, Blanot D, De Pedro MA (2008) Peptidoglycan structure and architecture. FEMS Microbiol Rev 32:149–167. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-6976.2007.00094.x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  42. Elshafie HS, Caputo L, De Martino L et al (2021) Study of bio-pharmaceutical and antimicrobial properties of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) leathery exocarp extract. Plants (Basel, Switzerland) 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants10010153

  43. Hanafy SM, Abd El-Shafea YM, Saleh WD, Fathy HM (2021) Chemical profiling, in vitro antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of pomegranate, orange and banana peel-extracts against pathogenic microorganisms. J Genet Eng Biotechnol 19:80. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43141-021-00151-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Arruda TR, Bernardes PC, e Moraes ARF, Soares NDFF (2022) Natural bioactives in perspective: the future of active packaging based on essential oils and plant extracts themselves and those complexed by cyclodextrins. Food Res Int 156:111160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2022.111160

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Pinto L, Tapia-Rodríguez MR, Baruzzi F, Ayala-Zavala JF (2023) Plant antimicrobials for food quality and safety: recent views and future challenges. Foods 12(12):2315. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12122315

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Emam-Djomeh Z, Moghaddam A, Yasini Ardakani SA (2015) Antimicrobial activity of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) peel extract, physical, mechanical, barrier and antimicrobial properties of pomegranate peel extract-incorporated sodium caseinate film and application in packaging for ground beef. Packag Technol Sci 28:869–881. https://doi.org/10.1002/pts.2145

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Mushtaq M, Gani A, Gani A et al (2018) Use of pomegranate peel extract incorporated zein film with improved properties for prolonged shelf life of fresh Himalayan cheese (Kalari/kradi). Innov Food Sci Emerg Technol 48:25–32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ifset.2018.04.020

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. Butnaru E, Stoleru E, Brebu MA et al (2019) Chitosan-based bionanocomposite films prepared by emulsion technique for food preservation. Materials 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12030373

  49. Kumar S, Mukherjee A, Dutta J (2020) Chitosan based nanocomposite films and coatings: emerging antimicrobial food packaging alternatives. Trends Food Sci Technol 97:196–209. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2020.01.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, King Khalid University, P.O Box 62529, Abha, Saudi Arabia

    A. Farouk

  2. National Research Centre, Textile Research and Technology Institute, 33 El-Behoth Street, Dokki, P.O. Box 12622, Cairo, Egypt

    A. Farouk

Authors
  1. A. Farouk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. Farouk.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The author declares no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Supplementary information

ESM 1

(DOCX 82 kb)

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Farouk, A. Development and characterization of biodegradable hydroxyethyl cellulose/polyacrylic acid films loaded with pomegranate peel extract with antibacterial activity. Biomass Conv. Bioref. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-023-04892-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13399-023-04892-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation