PBAT/PLA food packaging film containing sodium dehydroacetate-loaded diatomite as an antibacterial agent: Fabrication, water-gas regulation and long-acting antimicrobial mechanism

[Display omitted] •The sodium dehydroacetate-loaded diatomite (SD/D) was fabricated.•The SD/D composite films have excellent water and atmospheric conditioning performance.•The potential applications as preservation film have been demonstrated.•The SD/D composite films showed excellent long-acting antimicrobial ability. Biodegradable food packaging films with good antimicrobial properties are highly sought after for prolonging the shelf-life of fruits and vegetables whilst minimizing waste streams originating from the food sector. In this work, a series of PBAT/PLA food packaging films containing sodium dehydroacetate-loaded diatomite (SD/D) as an antimicrobial agent were fabricated. Structural analyses showed that the sodium dehydroacetate was incorporated into the pores of the diatomite. A uniform dispersion of SD/D in the composite films effectively enhanced water and gas permeability, whilst also giving the films good mechanical properties. The slow release of SD endowed the composite films with long-acting antibacterial ability (>90 % bacteriostasis rate for E. coli and >85 % bacteriostasis rate for S. aureus). The composite films were able to effectively maintain the quality of banana fruits during storage at room temperature, encouraging their use in food applications where non-biodegradable petrochemical-derived packaging films have traditionally been used.