PREPARATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF PVA/CELLULOSE NANOCRYSTALS/Ε-POLY-L-LYSINE BIOCOMPOSITES FOR POST-HARVEST PRESERVATION OF CHILLIES

Nur Aiman Mohamad Senusi; Ahmad Zul Izzi Fauzi; An'amt  Mohamed Noor; Nurasmat Mohd Shukri; Mohammad Khairul Azhar  Abdul Razab; Mohd Firdaus Makhtar; Abrar Ismardi; Nor Hakimin Abdullah

Nur Aiman Mohamad Senusi Bioproduct and Bioprocessing (BioPro) Research Group, Faculty of Bioengineering and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Jeli Campus, 17600 Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia.
Ahmad Zul Izzi Fauzi Bioproduct and Bioprocessing (BioPro) Research Group, Faculty of Bioengineering and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Jeli Campus, 17600 Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia.
An'amt Mohamed Noor Bioproduct and Bioprocessing (BioPro) Research Group, Faculty of Bioengineering and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Jeli Campus, 17600 Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia.
Nurasmat Mohd Shukri School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Health Campus, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia.
Mohammad Khairul Azhar Abdul Razab School of Health Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Health Campus, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia.
Mohd Firdaus Makhtar Bioproduct and Bioprocessing (BioPro) Research Group, Faculty of Bioengineering and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Jeli Campus, 17600 Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia.
Abrar Ismardi Department of Engineering Physics, Telkom University, Jl. Telekomunikasi No.1 Terusan Buah Batu, Bandung, 40257, Indonesia.
Nor Hakimin Abdullah Bioproduct and Bioprocessing (BioPro) Research Group, Faculty of Bioengineering and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan, Jeli Campus, 17600 Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia.

Keywords: Biocomposites, chillies, post-harvest preservation, cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)

Abstract

Post-harvest deterioration of highly perishable product, such as chillies, remains a major concern in global food supply chains, resulting in huge economic losses and food waste, as well as highlighting the need for sustainable alternatives to synthetic preservatives. This work created multifunctional biocomposite coatings using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), cellulose nanocrystals (CNC), and ε-polylysine (ε-PL) to improve mechanical, barrier, and antibacterial properties. The films were created using high-shear homogenisation and thoroughly characterised with optical microscopy (OM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). OM and SEM investigations showed uniform dispersion at ideal compositions and aggregation at greater ε-PL loadings. FTIR demonstrated significant intermolecular interactions via hydrogen bonding and electrostatic effects. XRD results show a composition-dependent balance between CNC-induced crystallinity and ε-PL-induced disruption of ordered domains, highlighting the importance of additive concentration in determining film structure. The biocomposite coatings were applied to fresh chilles and tested for 21 days under ambient storage conditions. The optimised formulation with 3 wt.% ε-PL reduced weight loss to 1.70 %, compared to 9.52 % for the control and 5.11 % for neat PVA. It also maintained visual quality and stiffness. The improved performance is attributable to the creation of a compact, well-integrated network structure that improves moisture barrier qualities while also providing bioactive functionality. This study establishes a clear structure property performance relationship and demonstrates the potential of PVA/CNC/ε-PL biocomposites as scalable, environmentally friendly coatings for post-harvest preservation and active food packaging applications.