Reinforced biopolymer network formation and functional performance of nanocellulose–alginate–Aloe vera mucilage films for bread preservation

Polysaccharide-based films offer promising bio-based alternatives for food packaging; however, their hydrophilic nature can limit moisture resistance, mechanical strength, and storage performance. In this study, nanocellulose–alginate– Aloe vera mucilage films were developed and evaluated for structural, physicochemical, thermal, soil-burial dry-weight-loss, and bread-preservation performance. Among the 36 composite formulations, SF8/SNCF, containing 5% nanocellulose, 4% mucilage, and 1% sodium alginate, showed the most favorable overall performance, with a tensile strength of 23.06 ± 0.78 MPa, moisture content of 19.25 ± 0.60%, thickness of 0.308 ± 0.003 mm, water-vapor permeance of 0.497 ± 0.05 kg s −1 ·m −2 ·Pa −1 , and water solubility of 27.97 ± 1.98%. FTIR analysis supported the reorganization of intermolecular hydrogen bonding and carboxylate environments within the reinforced polysaccharide matrix, while SEM revealed a comparatively smooth and homogeneous surface morphology. TGA showed a comparatively resistant thermal-degradation profile under the tested conditions. SNCF exhibited 98% dry-weight loss accompanied by extensive visual disintegration after 23 days of soil burial. In bread-packaging trials, BRD-SNCF retained higher moisture (32.00 ± 0.67%), water activity (0.942 ± 0.002), and pH (5.75 ± 0.04), while showing lower hardness (4.84 ± 0.34 N), free fatty acid content (0.44 ± 0.01%), and TBARS value (12.67 ± 0.07 mg MDA/kg) after 8 days than the component-control treatments. Overall, SNCF showed favorable moisture-barrier and bread-quality-retention performance relative to CNCF and CMF, supporting its potential as a sustainable bio-based film for short-term bakery packaging.