Berberis aristata fruit extract, nanocellulose, and biopolymers-infused bionanocomposite film: a green and sustainable alternative to plastics for food preservation and monitoring

A chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol/starch (CS/PVA/S) bionanocomposite film was fabricated through solution casting for smart food packaging by incorporating Berberis aristata (Chutro; CH) fruit extract and corncob-derived nanocellulose (NC) fibrils. The CS/PVA/S/CH/NC film exhibited pH-responsive intelligent behavior and strong UV barrier properties (up to 400 nm) compared to the negligible UV barrier and intelligent properties of CS/PVA/S film. The hydrophobicity (WCA for CS/PVA/S was 60.1 ± 0.6°, which increased to 97.3 ± 0.7° for CS/PVA/S/CH/NC) and the TS (4.5 ± 0.2 MPa for CS/PVA/S, which increased to 5.9 ± 0.1 MPa for CS/PVA/S/CH/NC film) were significantly enhanced. The film demonstrated high antimicrobial potential against the microorganism types Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans. Blending of CH and NC reduced the WVTR, solubility, and degradation rate of the composite film, thereby addressing the rapid biodegradation problem associated with conventional biopolymer-based films. The films exhibited efficacy in real-time monitoring of chicken meat freshness and effectively minimized plum weight loss and prevented microbial proliferation at 31 ± 1 °C and 69 ± 5 % RH. The novel CH extract-based composite film could be smart sustainable food packaging alternative to plastics, combining UV protection, pH intelligence, mechanical robustness, and antimicrobial potential while mitigating environmental persistence.