Novel anthocyanin-enriched film drying from camphor fruit waste enhances the physicochemical and quality properties of beef and reduces oxidation compared to conventional methods

• Meat drying traditionally suffers from severe moisture loss, lipid oxidation, and texture degradation. • Film drying demonstrated superior moisture retention and water-holding capacity effectively solving the dehydration problem. • The bioactive film technology reduced lipid oxidation compared to conventional methods, addressing a critical preservation challenge. • Film drying uniquely maintained texture, color stability, and rehydration capacity. • Film drying enhances preservation but also reduces energy demands, offering an eco-friendly alternative to traditional high-energy methods. Meat preservation faces significant challenges, including lipid oxidation, moisture loss, and texture degradation during drying, compromising quality and shelf life. This study developed a novel anthocyanin-edible film drying from camphor fruit waste, then evaluated the effectiveness of film drying compared to freeze-drying (FD), vacuum drying (VD), and hot-air drying (HAD) in preserving beef quality. Results showed that film-dried beef exhibited significantly lower weight loss (58.44%) and higher water-holding capacity (WHC, 4.16%) than FD (73.78%, 0.58%), VD (75.55%, 0.48%), and HAD (69.99%, 0.54%) (p < 0.05). Film drying also reduced lipid oxidation, with TBARS values (0.30 mg MDA/kg) substantially lower than those of HAD (0.59 mg MDA/kg). Rehydration properties were superior in film-dried (18.71% moisture ratio) and FD (13.37%) samples, with significantly higher rehydration ratios than VD (6.88%) and HAD (15.77%) after 60 minutes. Texture analysis revealed that film-dried beef retained better hardness (12.3 N), chewiness (8.5 N·mm), and cohesiveness (0.45) compared to FD (15.6 N, 10.2 N·mm, 0.38), VD (18.9 N, 12.7 N·mm, 0.35), and HAD (21.4 N, 14.8 N·mm, 0.32). Electronic nose analysis indicated that film drying reduced volatile sulfide and aromatic compounds (W2W sensor response: 1.8-fold increase vs. 2.14, 1.22, and 1.11-fold for VD, FD, and HAD, respectively). Sensory evaluation confirmed that film-dried beef had higher acceptability scores (>8) in color, texture, and overall quality than FD, VD, and HAD samples (<6.5). These findings demonstrate that film drying is a promising method for meat preservation, enhancing moisture retention, oxidative stability, and sensory attributes while minimizing quality degradation.