Milton Rodrigues Torres, Juliani Buchveitz Pires, Graciele Saraiva Lemos, Francine Tavares da Silva, Estefania J\u00falia Dierings de Souza, Felipe Nardo dos Santos, Tatiane J\u00e9ssica Siebeneichler, Eliezer Avila Gandra, Rosana Colussi, Elessandra da Rosa Zavareze<\/p>\n
Several studies have investigated using biodegradable materials as alternatives to plastic packaging. Adding bioactive compounds, such as essential oils, to films enables the formation of active packaging. This study aimed to develop active biodegradable gelatin films incorporating varying concentrations (0, 2, 4, and 6\u00a0%, v\/w) of pink pepper essential oil (PPEO). The chemical composition and antimicrobial properties of PPEO were analyzed. The films were evaluated for mechanical and morphological properties, thickness, moisture content, water solubility, color parameters, water vapor permeability (WVP), and antimicrobial activity via direct contact and microatmosphere methods. PPEO main components were \u03b4-3-carene (24.7\u00a0%), D-limonene (18\u00a0%), \u03b1-phellandrene (16.4\u00a0%), and 3-carene (12.1\u00a0%). The film with 6\u00a0% PPEO exhibited significantly improved tensile strength and low WVP and maintained high transparency with only slight opacity increases at higher concentrations. While free PPEO showed antibacterial activity against\u00a0E. coli<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0S. aureus<\/em>\u00a0in the microatmosphere method, it did not inhibit growth in the diffusion test. Films with 6\u00a0% PPEO effectively inhibited bacterial growth, with better inhibition of\u00a0S. aureus<\/em>\u00a0in direct contact and\u00a0E. coli<\/em>\u00a0in the microatmosphere. These findings suggest that gelatin films with 6\u00a0% PPEO have promising optical, morphological, barrier, and antimicrobial properties, indicating their potential for active packaging applications.<\/p>\n