Mathematical modeling of cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) bark oil release from agar/PVA biocomposite film for antimicrobial food packaging: The effects of temperature and relative humidity

[Display omitted] •Replacement of 25–75% PVA into agar (AG) increased water resistance of PVA films.•Cinnamon bark oil (CBO) was incorporated as an antimicrobial agent in AG/PVA films.•RH, rather than temperature, was the main factor affecting CBO release rate.•Experimental data on CBO release kinetics are best-fitted by Peleg model.•Set of predictive equations for CBO release rate were developed. Antimicrobial biocomposite films were prepared using agar (AG) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) as polymer matrix materials and cinnamon bark oil (CBO) as antimicrobial agent. AG and PVA were blended with different mixing ratios. The addition of AG improved the overall water resistance properties of the composite films. To evaluate the effects of temperature and relative humidity (RH) on the release kinetics of CBO from films, CBO release kinetics were analyzed under the 9 combinations of temperature and RH. Then, mathematical modeling of obtained data was conducted using Peleg, Ritger-Peppas, and Peppas-Sahlin models to investigate the release mechanisms of CBO. Consequently, the CBO release rate proportionally increased with the temperature and RH, with the RH being the main factor affecting the release behavior of CBO. In vitro antimicrobial activity tests against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria showed that the developed composite films have high applicability as an antimicrobial food packaging material.