DEVELOPMENT OF COST-EFFECTIVE BIODEGRADABLE BIOFILM REINFORCED WITH Cinnamomum verum-DERIVED ZNO NANOPARTICLES FOR FUNCTIONAL FOOD PACKAGING APPLICATIONS
Packaging is a vital procedure to prevent damage and contamination to our food, medications, clothing, and other possessions. Conventional packaging materials are developed from non-renewable resources and take a long timetodegrade. The present study makes a substantial contribution to the growing field of sustainable food packagingbycreating a biodegradable and environmentally friendly biofilm from renewable agricultural waste, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and green-synthesised ZnO nanoparticles obtained from Cinnamomum verum (cinnamon). In line withthat, Innovative materials have been developed in response to the increased need for environmentally friendlyfoodpackaging. The Zinc-doped nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) developed from Cinnamomum verum extract are infusedintopolyvinyl alcohol to develop multifunctional films for active food packaging. The integration of ZnONPs enhancedthe mechanistic characteristics of the film, including tensile strength (7.97 MPa) and durability (64.01 %). Thenanoparticles exhibited strong antimicrobial activity, with a diameter of the clearing zones measuring 25 mmagainst E. coli, and 15 mm against Candida utilis at a 100 µg/ml concentration. Characterization studies were carried out for the prepared film, such as SEM, XRD, and UV-Vis spectroscopy, to provide insights into its structure, morphology, crystallinity, and optical parameters. Biodegradability tests confirmed that the film decomposes naturally within30days. Overall, the ZnO NP-reinforced biodegradable film presents a sustainable alternative to synthetic plasticpackaging.
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