FABRICATION OF XANTHAN GUM AND HYDROXYPROPYLGUAR GUM- BASED BIOACTIVE FILM AS A FOOD PACKAGING MATERIAL

Abstract

The packaging industry faces the upcoming challenge of fabricating packaging materials that possess specific qualities such as mechanical strength, durability, biocompatibility, and biodegradability. In this regard, hydrogels present new opportunities for the development of effective packaging materials. Since most biopolymer-based hydrogels are designed to naturally degrade, they serve as a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative for green packaging. This study focuses on synthesizing a hydrogel specifically for food packaging applications. A hydrogel was synthesized by incorporating ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO) and Curcumin (Cur) into Xanthan gum (XG) and Hydroxypropyl guar gum (HPGG) using Citric acid (CA) as a crosslinker. The hydrogel's structural characteristics were analyzed using techniques such as FTIR and XRD. Thermal analysis was conducted through TGA, while morphological examination was done using SEM. Rheological analysis helped determine the viscoelastic behavior of the hydrogel. Furthermore, anti-microbial, anti oxidant, and cytotoxicity assays were performed to evaluate the hydrogel's antibacterial, scavenging, and cytotoxicity activities. The resulting XG-HPGG-CA-ZnO-Cur film demonstrates excellent potential as an edible food packaging material.