Hasri, Pince Salempa, Nurhayani, Suriati Eka Putri, Eka Risdayanti, Satria Putra Jaya Negara, Elvira Masarrang
Recent developments of materials for food packaging have been attempted to utilize biodegradable materials such as nanochitosan. The composite film of nanochitosan can be synthesized with various suitable materials. In this particular study, nanochitosan was paired with polyethylene glycol (PEG) because PEG has the ability to strengthen nanochitosan film. This study aims to determine the characteristics of nanochitosan and nanochitosan-PEG in an effort to develop smart edible film designed to monitor food freshness. Several stages had been conducted, it all began with the synthesis of nanochitosan and nanochitosan-PEG. The samples of nanochitosan-PEG were conditioned consecutively with various PEG concentrations of 1, 1.5 and 2 %. Nanochitosan and nanochitosan-PEG were characterized by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), Particle Size Analyzer (PSA), and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) spectrophotometer, while stability was tested with a UV-Vis spectrophotometer. The results of FTIR interpretation showed the functional groups like-OH,-NH, C=O carboxylate, P=O, and C-O-C. These functional groups featured a fairly sharp absorption peak implying the characteristic of PEG. The PSA test revealed that the nanochitosan-PEG 2 % obtained the smallest particle size. The treatment of time variations was required to react the nanochitosan-PEG 2 % with the ionic gelation method within 30, 60, and 120 min. After a 2-hour reaction, the smallest size particle reached 9.78 nm with a polydispersity index value of 0.021. The morphology of samples in the SEM test showed non-uniform spherical aggregates. The film yield proceeded to use on chicken meat for indicating the meat’s freshness. It took 48 h signifying a decline of protein content from 18.30 to 15.86 % as the film experienced a color change from purple to green according to the pH level of the decaying meat. This suggests that the film is smart and reliable to monitor food freshness through visual pH changes. © 2025, Walailak University. All rights reserved.
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Negeri Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia; Science Education Study Program, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Negeri Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia; Chemistry Department, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Science, Universitas Negeri Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia
