Fuente: PubMed "Tomato process" Int J Biol Macromol. 2026 Jul 8:153388. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2026.153388. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTCitric acid (CA) was employed as a green crosslinker and vanillin (VA) as an antioxidant/antimicrobial agent in the production of a fully bio-based hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HM) film for active food packaging. Esterification and network densification were confirmed by FTIR and XRD analyses. The films were evaluated for mechanical, barrier, optical, antioxidant (ABTS/DPPH), antimicrobial, fruit shelf-life, and soil biodegradation properties. Analyses indicated that CA crosslinking decreased tensile strength from 44.1 to 8.0 MPa but increased elongation at break from 10.92% to 48.40%, improved water-vapor and oxygen barriers, and reduced UV transmittance at 200-350 nm from ~75% to ~20%. VA provided strong antioxidant activity (ABTS 85.2%; DPPH 79.6%), while films with moderate-high CA inhibited Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Botrytis cinerea, and Penicillium expansum, delaying decay and extending the shelf life of strawberries and cherry tomatoes under ambient conditions. The biodegradation behavior of VA-HM-CA films was assessed using a soil burial test, revealing gradual fragmentation and surface erosion within five days compared to polyethylene control films which remained intact. This rapid degradation is attributed to the biodegradable nature of cellulose derivatives and the hydrolysable ester bonds introduced by CA crosslinking. The VA-HM-CA film integrates mechanical, barrier, optical, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and biodegradable properties, characteristics that convey its strong potential as an eco-friendly active packaging material for fresh produce.PMID:42419543 | DOI:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2026.153388