Production and Characterization of Starch Films Incorporated with Allspice Extract: Physical, Structural and Antibacterial Properties

The widespread use of plastic packaging poses serious threats to both human health and environmental sustainability. These risks are becoming increasingly evident, particularly with the rise in packaged food consumption. This has increased interest in biodegradable food packaging materials that are harmless to human health, other living things, and the environment. In this study, pure starch films and starch-based composite films containing allspice (Pimenta racemosa) extract at 1%, 3%, and 5% were synthesized. Various properties including antibacterial activity, surface morphology, intermolecular interactions, water vapor permeability, opacity, density, moisture content, thickness, swelling behavior, and solubility were examined for physical, structural, and functional characterization of the films. Opacity, thickness, density, water vapor permeability, solubility, and swelling rate of pure starch film was increased upon incorporation of allspice extract into the starch matrix. The inhibition zones of the films incorporated with 5% allspice extract against Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis were 17.7 and 14.7 mm respectively indicating a good antibacterial efficacy. This study demonstrates that starch films enriched with allspice extract offer a natural substitute for plastic packaging materials and have potential for environmentally friendly and functional food packaging applications.