ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Food Sci. Technol.
Sec. Food Packaging and Preservation
Bio-based alginate films reinforced with bacterial nanocellulose and MAA-rich extracts for food packaging
- UV
Urška Vrabič-Brodnjak
- TR
Tina Ružič
Faculty of Natural Sciences and Engineering, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
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Abstract
The increasing demand for sustainable food packaging has accelerated the development of biodegradable materials with enhanced protective and active functionalities. In this study, sodium alginate (ALG)-based composite films were developed by incorporating bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) as a reinforcing nanomaterial and mycosporine-like amino acid (MAA)-rich extracts. The novelty of this work lies in the integration of BNC and MAA-rich extracts into an alginate matrix, providing a multifunctional biodegradable packaging system that combines nanocellulose reinforcement with marine by-product valorization. The films were prepared by solution casting and comprehensively characterized regarding their structural, mechanical, surface, moisture-related, and barrier properties, as well as their ability to preserve fresh blueberries. The incorporation of BNC improved the structural integrity of the films, resulting in enhanced tensile strength and reduced porosity, while MAA addition increased flexibility and introduced functional properties. However, excessive MAA concentrations increased film hydrophilicity, leading to higher moisture content, water solubility, swelling, and rehydration capacity. Therefore, the overall film performance depended on achieving an optimal balance between mechanical stability, flexibility, and water interactions. Among all formulations, ALG-BNC-MAA with 3% of MAA exhibited the most favorable properties, showing low porosity, adequate tensile strength, improved flexibility, and controlled moisture behaviour. During four weeks of blueberry storage, this formulation effectively preserved fruit quality and achieved the lowest weight loss of 3.6%. Overall, the synergistic combination of BNC reinforcement and MAA-rich extracts represents a promising circular-economy approach for developing next-generation sustainable food packaging materials with improved functionality and shelf-life extension potential.
Summary
Keywords
active packaging, Alginate films, bacterial nanocellulose, mycosporine-like amino acids, shelf-life
Received
19 June 2026
Accepted
22 July 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Vrabič-Brodnjak and Ružič. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Urška Vrabič-Brodnjak
Disclaimer
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