Rechargeable films for protection of dry foods: A sustainable method for covalent grafting of β-cyclodextrin-thymol complex on PET/viscose platform.

Rechargeable materials for the effective protection of dry food products were developed. β-cyclodextrin-thymol inclusion complex was covalently grafted on a solid platform of polyethylene terephthalate-viscose using either traditional cross-linker of epichlorohydrin, or natural cross-linker of citric acid. A correlation between the grafting method and physicochemical properties, loading capacity and release capabilities of the resulted materials was studied. The developed materials demonstrated antimicrobial properties preventing mold propagation in wheat grains. The treated grains showed normal germination abilities verifying that the prepared materials can protect dry food products without using harmful chemicals. The suggested approach can be extended to other applications and active agents. A combination of rechargeable films with natural volatiles can serve as an effective platform for sustainable active materials for food protection and in other fields such as agriculture, cosmetics, and medicine.