A novel ternary deep eutectic solvent (DES) — synthesized from choline chloride, glycerol, and natural bioactives — was used to plasticize chitosan films for active food packaging. The resveratrol-incorporating formulation achieved antioxidant activity exceeding 90%, antibacterial performance above 97%, UV-blocking capacity of 2.86% transmittance at 350 nm, and extended color retention in cooked green peppers by 58.71% compared to controls. Elongation at break improved dramatically from 53% to 528%, and complete biodegradation occurred within 30 days.
The practical relevance here extends well beyond packaging engineering. Chlorophyll degradation in processed vegetables — driven by heat, oxidation, and enzymatic activity — is a primary driver of consumer rejection and food waste in the pre-prepared meal sector, a market growing rapidly alongside busy urban lifestyles. Resveratrol's dual role as both an antioxidant cargo and functional film component is the mechanistically interesting element: it simultaneously stabilizes the polymer matrix and scavenges reactive oxygen species at the food surface.
However, this is a materials science proof-of-concept, not a food safety or human health study. Migration of resveratrol from film into food — potentially beneficial given its polyphenolic properties — is not quantified here, nor is consumer exposure assessed. The chitosan-DES platform is confirmatory of a growing literature on biopolymer active packaging, but the 528% elongation improvement and 30-day biodegradability are genuinely competitive benchmarks against petroleum-based alternatives. Scalability and cost remain unstated limitations.
