Aloe vera Incorporated Chitosan/Nanocellulose Hybrid Nanocomposites as Potential Edible Coating Material under Humid Conditions

Innovative post-harvest technologies are in demand to meet the requirements of farmers and agricultural industries to ensure global food security and to avoid food wastage. Edible coatings that can prevent food spoilage and/or enhance shelf life have taken on increasing importance. This work involves the development of edible coatings based on easily available bio resources, chitosan and nanocellulose, and utilizing their unique properties as an effective coating material. Aloe vera, known for its antioxidant and antimicrobial properties, has been proposed as an active ingredient that can be incorporated into the biodegradable film. Varying volumes of Aloe vera (0.25 ml, 0.35 ml, 0.5 ml, and 2.5 ml) were added to fabricate nanocomposite films by solvent casting. Transparent films were obtained, and their morphology was analysed using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The incorporation of Aloe vera was confirmed in various spectroscopic studies, which clearly show reduction in light transmittance for the nanocomposite films containing Aloe vera. The contact angle study showed an increase in hydrophobicity initially. Maximum tensile strength was obtained with 0.25 ml of Aloe vera. The potential use of nanocomposite solution as edible films was demonstrated in green chillies, which showed lower weight loss after 3 days when compared with uncoated chillies. In the first phase of this study, chitosan/nanocellulose nanocomposites enriched with Aloe vera have been proposed as a potential edible food coating material.