Characterization of citrus pectin films integrated with clove bud essential oil: Physical, thermal, barrier, antioxidant and antibacterial properties

•The effects of clove bud essential oil on properties of the citrus pectin films were investigated.•CEO improved the mechanical and physicochemical properties of the pectin films.•Pectin/CEO films were more resistant, more elongable and less hydrophilic.•Antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of pectin film were enhanced by CEO.•The interactions between CEO and pectin were confirmed by FTIR analysis. The increasing demand for bio-based materials to be used in food packaging has stimulated the development of novel, environmentally-friendly edible films. Antimicrobial films were developed by incorporating different levels of clove bud essential oil (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%) into the citrus pectin in order to modify the functional properties of the films. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), differential scanning calorimetry analysis (DSC) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were performed, together with the determination of physical, optical, mechanical, antioxidant and antimicrobial properties of pectin emulsified films. The inclusion of oil significantly enhanced the water barrier properties of the films. Addition of oil leads to more opaque films with relatively heterogeneous microstructure, resulting in an increase in film opacity. The composite films were more resistant to breakage and more flexible than the control films. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) demonstrated that films incorporating CEO exhibited improved heat stability with slightly higher degradation temperature, compared with control films. The inhibitory effect of pectin films with CEO was also evaluated on three common foodborne bacteria. These results revealed that clove oil has a good potential to be incorporated into citrus pectin to make antimicrobial edible films or coatings for various food applications.