Novel antimicrobial polyvinyl alcohol film by incorporating β-cyclodextrin/berberine inclusion complex preserving the storage quality of salmon fillets

Antimicrobial packaging film mediated by photodynamic inactivation (PDI) based on biodegradable polymers is promising. The photosensitizer berberine chloride (BBR) was encapsulated into the β-cyclodextrin (CD) to exert its aggregation-induced emission (AIE) property. On this basis, novel PDI-mediated polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films were fabricated by incorporating the CD/BBR inclusion complex. The PVA/CD/BBR films had high light transmittance (∼70 %) in the visible light range, and possessed good biodegradability with the water absorption of 76 % and water solubility of 31 %. Besides, the films exhibited good mechanical properties with the tensile strength of 62.53 MPa at elongation break of 69.14 %, owing to the formation of hydrogen bonds between the PVA and CD/BBR. The PDI-mediated films were irradiated (14.4 J/cm²) to produce ROS to kill ∼4 log CFU/mL of Listeria monocytogenes and Vibrio parahaemolyticus. In addition, the films potently inactivated native bacteria (0.92 log CFU/g) on salmon fillets after 9 days of storage, and maintained their sensory quality, water holding capacity, and notably, inhibited the chemical changes of salmon fillets to extend the shelf-life for at least 3 days.