Banana sheath cellulose extraction and incorporation into pectin/carrageenan film employing linalool: fabrication and comprehensive characterisation of physical and antimicrobial properties as potential food packaging applications

This study explores the use of banana sheath cellulose (BSC), extracted from banana sheath fibres, as a reinforcing agent in high methoxyl pectin/κ-carrageenan (PEC/CAR) films. BSC was characterised using XRD, FTIR, SEM, and TGA analyses and incorporated into PEC/CAR films. To further enhance functionality, linalool was added to create antimicrobial active packaging. Rheological analysis revealed shear-thinning behavior in the film-forming solutions. FTIR showed that BSC increased tensile strength through hydrogen bonding, while linalool's hydrophobicity reduced tensile strength. XRD results indicated that BSC increased film crystallinity, improving mechanical properties, while linalool reduced crystallinity. Thermal stability improved with BSC and linalool, raising peak degradation temperatures. BSC reduced oxygen permeability from 5.26 to 2.95 cc.mm/m².day, while linalool slightly increased it to 7.09 cc.mm/m².day. In contrast, BSC significantly increased the water vapor permeability from 0.089 ± 0.011 to 0.299 ± 0.010 g·mm/m²·day, but the addition of 15 % linalool reduced it to 0.255 ± 0.006 g·mm/m²·day. Although linalool reduced the mechanical strength of the films, it significantly enhanced the antimicrobial properties. However, the addition of BSC helped counteract the reduction in mechanical performance caused by linalool, resulting in a balanced combination of strength and antimicrobial effectiveness of the film.