The massive production of food waste and plastic pollution necessitates innovative solutions. This study reports the first fabrication of a flexible chitosan (CH) film reinforced with lignosulfonate (LS) derived from pulping byproduct as a sustainable alternative to synthetic food packaging. The CH/LS composite film was prepared by a simple casting method with varying LS contents of 1 % and 2 %. Compared to CH film, the addition of 2 % LS increased the tensile strength by over 4 times and decreased water vapor permeability by 11 %. Moreover, the CH/LS film exhibited excellent UV-shielding properties. This novel use of LS to reinforce CH film presents an eco-friendly active packaging material. When used to package cherry tomatoes for 2 weeks, the CH/LS film effectively maintained fruit freshness and hardness while minimizing weight loss. This work provides new scientific evidence on the optimized preparation and application of CH/LS composite films from renewable resources for food preservation.

Highlights:

• CH/LS films were fabricated by polyelectrolyte complex formation.
• LS enhanced the mechanical strength of CH film by 4 times and reduced WVP by 11%.
• CH/LS films exhibited excellent UV-shielding property.
• CH/LS films effectively maintained freshness of cherry tomatoes for 2 weeks.
• CH/LS films from renewable resources showed potential as sustainable food packaging.

Figure 1 :

Biodegradable films for food preservation using biomass derived chitosan film reinforced with lignosulfonate from pulping by-products

Source:

Jiangyu Zhu, Yujie Fang, Minato Wakisaka, Halimatun Saadiah Hafid, Zhengfei Yang, Yongqi Yin, Taku Omura, Weiming Fang. Fabrication of flexible chitosan film reinforced with pulping by-product lignosulfonates for cherry-tomato preservation. Food Chemistry: X. Volume 21 (2024) 101181. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fochx.2024.101181)

Date of Input: 31/07/2025 | Updated: 26/09/2025 | ainzubaidah