Research Team from the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences Develops Amazing Food Packaging: Chitosan, Bombyx mori Protein, and Propolis to Extend the Shelf Life of Fruits

Recently, the Resource Insects and Product Function development team at the Bee Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences has made important progress in exploring the use of natural resources. They have successfully developed a sustainable food packaging material combining chitosan, yellow mealworm protein and propolis ethanol extract, and conducted in-depth research on its application in the field of fruit preservation. The results of this innovative research have been proudly published in the authoritative journal Carbohydrate Polymers.

With the improvement of global awareness of environmental protection, the problem of environmental pollution and resource depletion caused by petroleum-based plastics has become increasingly serious, and the exploration and application of biodegradable materials to replace traditional plastics has become an important topic in the scientific research community. Chitosan, as a cationic polysaccharide originated from nature, is not only rich in resources, low in cost, but also easy to be industrialized production, so it has attracted much attention in the research and development of bio-based antibacterial packaging materials. However, the lack of mechanical strength and barrier properties of pure chitosan limits its wider application.

At the same time, as the first new resource insect food certified by the European Union, yellow mealworm provides a new idea for the innovation of food packaging materials with its high protein content and excellent emulsification, foaming and gel properties. However, the application of TMP in the field of active food packaging has not been fully explored. To this end, the research team cleverly combined chitosan with yellow mealworm protein, aiming to prepare food packaging materials with better performance by complementing the advantages of the two.

In order to further improve the comprehensive properties of the composite, especially its antioxidant and antibacterial capabilities, the research team also innovatively introduced propolis ethanol extract (PEE). This measure not only enhances the antioxidant and antibacterial effects of the composite film, but also effectively extends the shelf life of the fruit.

In this study, a green and sustainable antibacterial food packaging material loaded with propolis ethanol extract was successfully prepared by using chitosan and yellow mealworm protein as matrix through scientific ratio and process optimization. The experimental results showed that the composite film had excellent performance in visible light transparency, mechanical properties, water vapor barrier properties, thermal stability and biodegradability, and its antioxidant and antibacterial activities increased significantly with the increase of ethanol extract content of propolis. It is particularly worth mentioning that the functional composite film has shown excellent results in the preservation experiment of perishable fruits such as strawberries.

This study not only provides a new and efficient solution for the post-harvest preservation of fruits, but also expands the application prospect of mealworm protein in the field of food packaging. As a kind of green and environmentally friendly active packaging material, functional composite film loaded with propolis ethanol extract has broad development potential and market space.