Development of Food Packaging with Desirable Properties and Activities Using Chitosan and Mentha piperita, Salvia officinalis, Melaleuca quinquenervia, and Eucalyptus globulus EOs

With the rising requirement for natural and biodegradable packaging materials, we focused in this study on the elaboration of a bioactive food packaging with desirable properties using high molecular weight chitosan (CHT) combined with ketones and ether-rich essential oils (EOs) such as menthone, α-thujone, and 1,8-cineole. The analysis of the physical parameters revealed that the CHT films containing EOs were thicker, more opaque, and less moisturized. Furthermore, the incorporation of EOs reduced the swelling degree of the CHT film except for sage EO. The evaluation of the physicochemical properties showed a considerable decrease in the contact angles and Lewis acid (γ⁺) component following the addition of the EOs. As regards the biological activities, the CHT film incorporating niaouli EO showed the highest antioxidant activity with values 45 times higher compared to the control CHT film. On the other hand, the CHT film containing peppermint EO exhibited the strongest antiadhesion activity against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus hirae, Escherichia coli, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa with values of adhesion inhibition ranging between 36.30% and 61.09% depending on the bacterial species. Finally, a correlation was noticed between the Lewis acid (γ⁺) component of the material and the percentage of bacterial cell adhesion. These encouraging findings emphasize the effectiveness of CHT films containing ketones and ether-rich EOs as biodegradable and bioactive packaging.