Large-scale dual-responsive ClO2 controlled-release film for strawberry preservation

Chlorine dioxide (ClO₂) exhibits promising potential for the application in food preservation. However, the large-scale production of controlled-release ClO₂ films faces challenges. The sodium chlorite microcapsules (Micro-SC) were successfully prepared in this study using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as the wall material through the spray drying method. Furthermore, A large-scale preparation of temperature and humidity dual-responsive ClO₂ controlled-release films (Micro-SC@EVA) was achieved using melt extrusion. The film could release ClO₂ triggered by water vapor for 36 days. The antibacterial effects were significantly enhanced with the increase of microcapsule ratio from 4 % to 8 %. The Micro-SC@EVA film reduced the total viable count and wight loss of strawberries, inhibits ethylene production, and extended the shelf life of by 150 % compared with the control group at 25 °C. The application evaluation results show that the novel approach for the large-scale preparation of ClO₂ controlled-release film holds significant implications for food packaging.