Valorization of Blueberry Processing Byproducts for the Development of Intelligent Packaging: A Comparative Study on Biomass versus Extract Use in pH-Sensitive Films.

ABSTRACT: The simultaneous challenges of plastic pollution and food waste call for sustainable materials that valorize agro-industrial residues. In this study, multifunctional chitosan-based films were developed by incorporating up to 30 wt % of mildly hydrolyzed blueberry pomace (BBP), a juice industry byproduct rich in anthocyanins and fibers. Unlike conventional approaches that rely on anthocyanin extracts, our full-biomass strategy integrates both soluble and insoluble pomace fractions directly into the chitosan matrix and benchmarks these against extract-only controls. The resulting films exhibited enhanced opacity, UV-blocking ability, and strong pH-responsive color changesattributes critical for intelligent food packaging. FTIR and SEM analyses confirmed strong interactions between BBP and c

SUBMITTER: Arizanova M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12810031 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature