Food‐Contact‐Compatible Superhydrophobic Coating Based on Starch for Low Adhesion and Fresh Preservation

Multifunctional superhydrophobic materials show broad application prospects as promising substitutes for conventional liquid food packaging. Quercetin (QUE), renowned for its significant antioxidant and antibacterial properties, emerges as an ideal candidate for liquid food packaging materials. However, the poor antiadhesion and stability of QUE have hindered its long‐term application in food packaging. To address these limitations, we have developed a food‐contact‐compatible superhydrophobic coating (Wax@Q/S2) based on starch, incorporating QUE and shellac to impart antioxidant activity and enhance mechanical properties, thereby potentially compensating for QUE's shortcomings while retaining its advantages. This coating demonstrates exceptional antiadhesion properties, evidenced by a water contact angle of 154.9° and a sliding angle of 1.7°. In practical liquid food packaging tests, it significantly reduced yogurt residue to 0.16% ± 0.02% on paper cups and 0.44% ± 0.05% on polypropylene (PP) cups, achieving >99.5% food recovery efficiency. Additionally, the coating exhibits excellent oxidation resistance, immersion stability, and mechanical stability. The successful application of this coating in liquid food packaging, as confirmed by preservation experiments on milk and grapes (e.g., maintaining 92% of grape weight over 14 days), underscores its potential as a novel approach for preparing multifunctional food‐contact‐compatible packaging materials.