Chitosan-essential oil Pickering emulsion coating for improving microbial safety of traditional food packaging based on banana leaves

Traditional packaging in Indonesia often uses leaves, with banana leaves favored for their cultural value, biodegradability, and flavor enhancement, however their lack of biofunctional properties limits preservation performance. This study aimed to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of various chitosan/Tween 80/cellulose nanocrystals/cinnamon/lemongrass essential oil coatings, and further assessed their efficacy in vivo using banana leaf-wrapped serabi , a representative Indonesian traditional food. Edible coating formulations were prepared using emulsions containing 0.5% CEO or LEO stabilized with either 0.05% nanocellulose or 0.3% Tween 80. Microbial activity showed that Pickering emulsified chitosan with cinnamon essential oil had the highest inhibition zone of 21.59 ± 0.2 mm on Escherichia coli, 14.27 ± 0.13 mm on Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 19.21 ± 0.24 mm on Bacillus subtilis, and 27.42 ± 0.40 mm on Staphylococcus aureus. The coated banana leaf was able to maintain the shelf life of serabi up to 12 h according to the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority (BPOM) standard without providing differences with the control confirmed by the triangle test. This method offers a sustainable alternative technology that maintained consumer acceptance while supporting traditional eco-friendly packaging practices.