ABSTRACT This study aims to explore the food preservation potential of bio‐based and biodegradable films developed from chitosan (CS), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) nanoparticles, and peppermint essential oil (PEO) and/or lemongrass essential oil (LEO), using the solvent casting technique. The effects of varying essential oil concentrations (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0%) on the physical, thermal, mechanical, antimicrobial, antioxidant, and barrier properties of the films were investigated through X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), a universal testing machine (UTM), the well diffusion assay, a water contact angle (WCA) goniometer, an oxygen transmission rate (OTR) analyzer and UV–vis spectrophotometry. The study also highlights a comparative evaluation of PEO, LEO, and their combination to assess their synergistic potential. TGA and mechanical analyses revealed enhanced thermal and mechanical properties, with T 50% increasing from 262.79 °C (pure CS) to 362.85 °C (CS/PVA/TiO 2 /PEO‐1.5), and tensile strength and elongation at break rising from 8.65 MPa and 19.07% (pure CS) to 17.10 MPa and 96.01% (CS/PVA/TiO 2 /LEO‐1.0), respectively. The films exhibited strong antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli , and Aspergillus niger , along with significantly enhanced antioxidant performance upon essential oil incorporation, particularly for the dual‐oil CS/PVA/TiO 2 /PLEO formulation (DPPH RSA: 57.6 ± 1.8%). The CS/PVA/TiO 2 /LEO‐1.0 film achieved complete biodegradation in soil within 8 weeks. Additionally, this film extended the shelf life of white bread to three weeks at 18 °C and 54% RH, outperforming both the CS/PVA/Castor oil/TiO 2 ‐0.3 film (optimized film from our previous study) and commercial polypropylene packaging. Overall, these findings highlight the synergistic incorporation of dual essential oils and TiO 2 nanoparticles as a sustainable approach to multifunctional active food packaging materials offering enhanced preservation and reduced environmental impact.
Geeta et al. (Thu,) studied this question.