Biopolymer films incorporated with ascorbic Acid: Characterisation, antimicrobial and fruit preservation studies

In the present study, chitosan (cs), gelatin (gl) and methyl cellulose (mc) film formulations were incorporated with ascorbic acid (aa) at a concentration of 15% (w/w). the addition of aa increased the transparency value of biopolymer films. a pronounced effect was obtained for cs, of which the transparency value was increased from 0.501 to 1.17 a/mm. a significant improvement in antimicrobial property against escherichia coli (e. coli) and staphylococcus aureus (s. aureus) was obtained in the presence of aa. cs-aa, gl-aa and mc-aa films were applied for the first time to preserve cherry tomatoes (solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) and grapes (vitis vinifera). based on a 14-day preservation study, the aforementioned biopolymer-aa films were successfully controlled the weight loss and browningindex of both commodities. overall, results from this study highlight the feasibility of biopolymer-aa films to extend the shelf-life of fruits.