Saccharomyces cerevisiae-incorporated and sucrose-rich sodium alginate film: An effective antioxidant packaging film for longan preservation

A sodium alginate (SA) film incorporated with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SE) and sucrose (SU) was fabricated to control the quality and pericarp browning of longan. The SE with satisfactory glutathione production was selected as the antioxidant agent. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results revealed that the SU-rich SA film could be used as an effective carrier to protect the cell integrity of SE. The FTIR and mechanical property results indicated that the SA-SE film with the incorporation of SU has good flexibility due to the existence of hydrogen bonds. Notably, the cell viability of the SE was significantly improved with the addition of SU, which positively affects the antioxidant property of the film during the storage period. Finally, the SA-SE-3.0%SU films obviously improved the quality and pericarp browning of longan. The SA-based film incorporated with SU and SE may be established as a novel antioxidant fruit packaging material. [Display omitted] •S. cerevisiae with good glutathione production was selected as the antioxidant agent.•Active films made from sodium alginate (SA), sucrose and S. cerevisiae were developed.•Sucrose (SU) (3.0 % ∼ 6.0 %) significantly improved the mechanical property of the films.•The addition of S. cerevisiae (SE) enhanced the antioxidant property of the films.•SA-SE films with 3.0 % ∼ 6.0 % SU improved the quality and pericarp browning of longan.