A colorimetric hydrogen sulfide sensor based on gellan gum-silver nanoparticles bionanocomposite for monitoring of meat spoilage in intelligent packaging

•Ag nanoparticles (AgNPs) were green synthesized by using gellan gum (GG).•GG-AgNPs show good sensitivity and selectivity towards H2S.•GG-AgNPs presented visible color changes when used to monitor meat spoilage.•GG-AgNPs should have great potential for application in intelligent packaging. A colorimetric hydrogen sulfide (H2S) sensor based on gellan gum capped silver nanoparticles was developed to real-time monitor meat spoilage. The colorimetric sensor strategy was attributed to the ultrastrong binding ability of Ag with H2S to form Ag2S. The sensor enables the analysis of H2S with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.81 μM, and it exhibited excellent selectivity toward H2S against other volatile components generated from chicken breast and silver carp during spoilage. By these virtues, the sensor presented visible color changes from yellow to colorless by in situ and nondestructively sensing H2S generated from chicken breast and silver carp in a packaging system. This strategy provided a simple but useful, non-destructive, robust, cost-effective, and user-friendly platform to real time monitor meat spoilage for intelligent food packaging.