Development and characterization of chitosan-based antimicrobial films: A sustainable alternative to plastic packaging

• Introduced sustainable bioplastic from shrimp shell chitosan. • Bioplastic possessed high tensile strength (up to 64.68 MPa). • Incorporating ZnONPs inhibited bacterial growth effectively. • Showed rapid breakdown, losing 80.92 % weight in 60 days. • Ideal for diverse uses, from packaging to biomedical devices. The development of biodegradable bioplastic packaging is essential for reducing environmental pollution and minimizing non-biodegradable waste accumulation. In this study, a biodegradable plastic film was fabricated by blending polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), chitosan (CS) derived from shrimp shells, and gelatin (GE) in a 6:2:2 ratio. Crosslinked chitosan and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) at a 95:5 ratio was incorporated into the matrix, and the bioplastic film was produced via a simple solution casting method. The developed…