Innovative bio-based active packaging: Functional composite films reinforced with biochar for meat preservation

The growing demand for safe and sustainable meat products is driving innovations in food packaging. Biodegradable and renewable materials offer promising alternatives, though developing films with strong and multifunctional properties remains challenging. This study presents alginate-gelatin-PEG-based composite films incorporated with biochar derived from oleaster seeds to enhance meat preservation. Films were fabricated at varying concentrations of biochar and characterized using FT-IR, TGA, XRD, SEM, and BET analyses. The incorporation of biochar significantly modified the physicochemical and structural properties of the films. The films containing higher biochar content showed maximum thermal stability with 400 °C and enhanced antioxidant activity, with 77.84 % DPPH scavenging. Microbiological and biochemical tests revealed that the biochar-enhanced films inhibited lipid oxidation, reduced protein degradation, and suppressed bacterial growth. Films with higher biochar content extended beef shelf life by at least 5 days and completely eliminated S. aureus by day 10. These findings propose that biochar-enhanced composite films offer an effective and sustainable approach to prolong meat shelf life and improve food safety.