Biodegradability study of active chitosan biopolymer films enriched with Quercus polyphenol extract in different soil types

One of the recent trends within the circular economy is the development of materials derived from food processing waste and their utility as an alternative to plastic packaging. In this context, the study aims to evaluate biological causes of deterioration or degradation of chitosan-based films with and without incorporated natural Quercus polyphenol extract in three different types of soils (industrial compost, commercial garden soil, and soil from a vineyard). Degradation and active properties deterioration was followed by measurement of the loss of mass of tested active films for 14 days, and it was accompanied by other analytical techniques such as measurement of polyphenolic content, FT-IR analysis, and SEM examination of the packaging morphology. The results showed that chitosan-based film properties deteriorate in less than 3 days followed by biodegradation in all tested soils after 14 days. Films with incorporated Quercus polyphenol extract undergo deterioration of active properties in compost and garden soil in 6 days, while the fractionation and degradation process has not been complete in the vineyard soil during the 14 days. Furthermore, it has also been revealed that the addition of water to the soil decreased the rate of active chitosan film biodegradation in the terrestrial environment. [Display omitted] •Innovative new active chitosan-based films were prepared.•Quercus extract improved their mechanical, optical and antimicrobial properties.•Films have shown potential to be used as an active packaging material.•Films fractionate and biodegrade in industrial compost over period of 10 days.•Chemical characterization of films and soils during fractionation was followed.