Natural preservation materials have long been a focus of research in the quality control of fruits and vegetables. This study aimed to develop composite films with exceptional preservation properties by utilizing chitosan (CS) as the film-forming material and incorporating onion polysaccharide (ONP) as the active component. The CS-ONP composite films were prepared, and their performance and preservation effects were evaluated. The results demonstrated that increasing the ONP content significantly enhanced the shading, antimicrobial, and antioxidant capabilities of the CS-ONP composite films. Preservation experiments revealed that the CS-ONP composite films effectively delayed the quality decline of cherry tomatoes during storage. However, despite the improvements brought by ONP, certain drawbacks persisted, such as reduced mechanical properties and alterations in surface structure. In summary, the CS-ONP composite films exhibit promising potential as novel materials for fruit and vegetable preservation.
Reference: Shen, A., Zhang, T., Li, S., Xiao, M., Tian, Z., Zhang, J., Lu, T., & Yang, W. (2024). Innovative chitosan-onion polysaccharide composite films: A study on the preservation effects on cherry tomatoes. Journal of Food Science, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1111/1750-3841.17262
