Biodegradable hybrid biopolymer film based on carboxy methyl cellulose and selenium nanoparticles with antifungal properties to enhance grapes shelf life.
In the current study, cellulose was extracted from sugarcane bagasse and further converted into carboxy methyl cellulose. The morphological, chemical, and structural characterization of synthesizeed carboxy methyl cellulose was performed. Further, the biopolymer was fabricated with mycogenic selenium nanoparticles and used to develop the biofilms. The developed biofilms were examined for the fruit shelf life stability, antifungal activity, and biodegradation potential. The results revealed that grapefruits wrapped with biofilms showed enhanced shelf life of fruit at all storage time intervals. The study also witnesses the antifungal activity of biofilms with a remarkable inhibitory action on the spores of Fusarium and Sclerospora graminicola phytopathogens. Lastly, the biofilms were significantly degradable in the soil within two weeks of incubation. Thus, the developed biofilms exhibit multifaceted properties that can be used as an alternative to synthetic plastics for fruit packaging and also helps in protecting against fungal contaminants during storage with naturally degradable potential.