Application of Nonmigratory Polypropylene‐Graft‐Curcumin Packaging in Real Food Systems

ABSTRACT Food loss and waste is a major economic and environmental challenge, prompting research into new technologies to extend product shelf life. Active and intelligent packaging offers new pathways to reduce food spoilage and subsequent waste through integration of preservative and spoilage‐indicating compounds in the packaging matrix. In this work, polypropylene‐ graft ‐curcumin (PP‐ g ‐Cur) was prepared by reactive extrusion to develop a nonmigratory antibacterial, antioxidant and intelligent packaging system. The aim of this research was to demonstrate the efficacy of PP‐ g ‐Cur melt blended with polypropylene‐ graft ‐maleic anhydride (PP‐ g ‐MA) in real food systems. The antibacterial properties of films were evaluated by inhibition of shrimp spoilage in treated versus control PP packaging, which highlighted the necessity of applications‐driven methods development in designing analytical tests whose results best reflect commercial application. The intelligent packaging behaviour of PP‐ g ‐MA/PP‐ g ‐Cur packaging was confirmed by a change in colour of treated films with correlation to shrimp spoilage. Increased total viable count (TVC) of shrimp from 4.99 to 8.16 log (CFU/g shrimp) had a direct correlation to increased Δa* (redness) value of 1.31 for PP‐ g ‐MA/PP‐ g ‐Cur films. The strong correlation between colour change and shrimp spoilage could allow quantification of TVC through colorimetric measurement of the intelligent packaging system. This technology presents an efficient, nondestructive method to track product freshness from manufacture to retail. These findings demonstrate the importance of applications‐driven research both for commercial translation and for tailoring polymer properties to optimize functional performance under relevant conditions.