Biodegradable coating constructed from carboxycellulose nanofibers for high photocatalytic decomposition of ethylene and synergistic antibacterial what of perishable fruits.

ABSTRACT

Postharvest fruits, especially climacteric fruits, are prone to ethylene ripening, browning and aging, microbial growth accelerated decay and other problems in natural environment. Herein, a carboxylated cellulose nanofibers/phytic acid­titanium dioxide nanoparticles (CPT) biodegradable coating with "photocatalytic antibacterial barrier" structure，was developed by homogeneous dispersion of phytic acid(PA) complexed titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TNPs) in carboxylated cellulose nanofibers(CCNF). The CPT coating achieves effective dispersion and efficient utilization of TNPs through the complexation of PA. The coating ethylene clearance rate of CPT up to 70.89 %. Meanwhile, the coating exhibits excellent antibacterial (99.67 %), UV resistance, gas barrier. It was found that the CPT coating delays fruit ripening caused by ethylene, which effectively maintaining the quality of respiratory climacteric fruits and non- climacteric fruits, extending the shelf life of perishable fruit by up to 9 days. In particular, the coating is virtually biodegradable in soil after 21 days, which offers the possibility of replacing non-biodegradable multifunctional coatings in food packaging.