A degradable and antibacterial sodium alginate film containing functional Au-TiO₂ nanocomposites for food packaging was successfully developed. The Au-TiO₂ nanocomposites are synthesized hydrothermally and mixed with the alginate solution to form the film by a casting method. The Au-TiO₂ nanocomposites enable the film with excellent visible light absorption and transfer ability with the light absorption rang covering UV⁻visible wavelength (300⁻800 nm) and induce the increase of the film water contact angle from 40° to 74°, which contributes to the film shape stability. Furthermore, compared to the TiO₂ nanoparticle-incorporated film, the antibacterial ability of Au-TiO₂/sodium alginate composite film is improved approximately by 60% and 50% against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Escherichia coli (E. coli), respectively, in light conditions. The antibacterial property of the film arises from the increased production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) induced by the surface plasmonic resonance of Au nanoparticles. The degradable and antibacterial properties render the composite film of great application potential in food packaging industry.
Keywords: alginate film; antibacterial properties; food packaging; nanocomposites.