Antioxidant edible double-layered film based on waste from soybean production as a vegan active packaging for perishable food products

•Vegan films were obtained on basis of furcellaran and protein hydrolysates from soybean bran.•The influence of the coatings on the microbial quality of a model food product during storage was assessed.•Covering tofu with innovative biopolymer films has negative effects on its quality during storage. Edible vegan films were obtained on the basis of furcellaran and protein hydrolysates from soybean bran. The aim of the study was to investigate the possibility of using innovative single- and double-layer films with antioxidant properties as packaging materials for vegetarian products. A further objective of the study was to evaluate the degree of biodegradation and potential toxicity with regard to the developed films. The tofu was analysed for changes in physicochemical parameters (weight loss, dry weight texture and colour), microbiological quality (total microbial count, yeast and moulds, psychotropic bacteria), and lipid oxidation (peroxidase and acid values, TBARS, fatty acid profile). It was found that films undergo almost complete biodegradation within 10 days and do not demonstrate any toxicity for cress seeds during their growth. Films are not effective in inhibiting the growth of microorganisms in tofu samples. Furthermore, they are not efficient in inhibiting the oxidation of tofu lipids. Compared to the control, the tofu samples covered with the innovative biopolymer films showed significantly lower moisture content and higher weight loss as well as hardness during the whole storage period.