Preparation and characterization of carboxymethyl cellulose-based edible thin films loaded with rosmarinic acid and citral nanoparticles

This study aimed to prepare a CS-TPP nanoparticle loaded with rosmarinic acid and citral and to evaluate the overall performance of the novel antimicrobial film prepared by the addition of the nanoparticles to the CMC film. The structure of the nanoparticles was determined by particle size potentiometry, SEM, and FTIR, and it was demonstrated that rosemarinic acid and citral were successfully combined with CS-TPP nanoparticles with a particle size of 446.2 nm. The surface morphology and mechanical properties of the films were determined by texture instrumentation, SEM, FTIR, and XRD.The CMC-XT showed a tensile strength of 9.30 N/mm² (49% higher than the blank film, 6.23 N/mm²) and an elongation at break of 175%, surpassing the CMC-RA (6.58 N/mm²). The antibacterial performance experiment showed that the inhibition rates of CMC-XT on E.coli and S.aureus were 69.4% and 61.9%, respectively, which were significantly better than the blank membrane (9.2%).The experiment provides a new type of film that combines mechanical strength, antibacterial performance, and environmental friendliness for food preservation, solving the safety issues of traditional chemical preservatives and the cost limitations of physical preservation technology.As well as it utilizes natural antimicrobial agents and biodegradable polymers, reducing reliance on traditional chemical preservatives that may pose health risks or environmental concerns.