Fuente: PubMed "essential oil" J Sci Food Agric. 2026 Jun 17. doi: 10.1002/jsfa.70764. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: This study aimed to create a cryogel with water-absorbing and antioxidant properties. Wheat starch (10%, w/v) was used to produce cryogels, which were then incorporated with turmeric essential oil (TEO) at two concentrations: 20% and 30% (w/w of starch). The production method consisted of gelatinization, freeze/thaw cycles, and subsequent freeze-drying. The materials were applied as an absorbent pad for fish fillet exudate. The major compounds of TEO were ar-turmerone (43.60%) and α-turmerone (23.49%), characterized by gas chromatography.RESULTS: The cryogels showed a porous structure, and the thermal stability of TEO was improved when entrapped in the materials. The mechanical properties reached 260.79 g for hardness, 0.90 for cohesiveness and 0.97 for springiness for the dried form. The cryogels displayed low density (approximately 0.110 g cm-3) and high porosity (85.97%), not differing among the formulations. The water absorption capacity was high, with the control (0% TEO) reaching 1026% and reducing for those with TEO to approximately 883%. Cryogels demonstrated a high TEO loading capacity, exceeding 90%. In vitro release showed that, after 2880 min, the 30% TEO cryogels released 22% of their content in a hydrophilic medium and a substantially higher 69% in a lipophilic medium. The cryogels with 30% TEO achieved an antioxidant activity of 48% for ABTS [i.e. 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)] radical inhibition and 23% for DPPH (i.e. 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) radical. When applied to fish fillets, after 7 days of storage, the cryogels maintained stable pH (6.06) and mass loss (5.6%) across treatments, at the same time as showing a comparable exudate absorption of approximately 35%.CONCLUSION: Exhibiting water-absorbing capacity, high loading capacity, controlled in vitro release, and antioxidant activity. The developed materials are promising three-dimensional materials for active food packaging applications in fish fillet preservation. © 2026 The Author(s). Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.PMID:42310891 | DOI:10.1002/jsfa.70764