Enhancement of the Physical and Functional Properties of Chitosan Films by Incorporating Galla chinensis Extract

Abstract

Composite films based on chitosan (CS) incorporating Galla chinensis extract (GCNE) at different CS/GCNE weight ratios, which are both biodegradable and multifunctional, were fabricated using the solution-casting method. The FTIR analyses indicated that a good interaction was presented among the GCNE and CS through an intermolecular hydrogen bond. The incorporation of the GCNE improved the films’ elongation at break, UV-light blocking, and decreased the moisture regain (from 16.68% to 10.69%) and water absorption (from 80.65% to 54.74%). Moreover, the CS/GCNE films exhibited a strong antioxidant activity (from 57.11% to 70.37% of DPPH and from 35.53% to 46.73% of ABTS scavenging activities) mainly due to the high content of phenolic compounds in the incorporated GCNE. The CS/GCNE film-forming solution coatings demonstrated their effectiveness in preserving the quality of postharvest mangoes, specifically by minimizing the change in the firmness, weight loss, titratable acidity, and total phenolic and ascorbic acids. These findings suggest that the multifunctional composite films possess a high application potential to preserve postharvest fruits.