Facile preparation of pH-responsive antimicrobial complex and cellulose nanofiber/PVA aerogels as controlled-release packaging for fresh pork

Intelligent controlled release technologies that rely on environmental changes to control the release rate of antimicrobial agents have attracted attention in the field of food preservation. In this paper, cinnamaldehyde (CN) was grafted onto chitosan (CS) to form a pH-responsive controlled-release complex, CS-CN, via the Schiff base reaction. Then, tempo oxidized cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and PVA were prepared as aerogels loaded with CS-CN with different pore parameters (PCNF@CN). Release experiments showed that acid triggered the release of CN and increased the release from 10.3 to 68.4% with increasing pH. In addition, PCNF@CN showed significant pH-responsive antimicrobial properties against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Utilizing the water absorption of the aerogel and triggering the release of CN, the shelf life of fresh meat could be delayed for 4 days. This study demonstrated the potential application of PCNF@CN aerogel in functional food preservation packaging.