Grape Seed Extract-Mediated Silver Nanoparticles Incorporated into Chitosan Films for Short-Term Grape Preservation

Abstract

This study developed chitosan (CS) films incorporating grape seed extract (GSE)-mediated silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for short-term grape preservation. GSE acted as both a reducing and stabilizing agent during AgNP synthesis and a source of phenolic compounds. The predominantly spherical nanoparticles had a mean primary diameter of 24.38 ± 5.90 nm and a zeta potential of −43.85 ± 3.04 mV. Incorporation of GSE and GSE-AgNPs altered the crystallinity, morphology, optical characteristics, and mechanical and barrier properties of CS films. The composite films also exhibited enhanced antioxidant and antifungal activities compared with neat CS films. During 7 days of storage at 25 ± 2 °C, GSE-AgNP-containing films reduced grape weight loss, decay, and mold growth while better maintaining titratable acidity and sensory quality. The higher GSE-AgNP loading provided the best overall performance, demonstrating the potential of GSE-mediated AgNPs as multifunctional additives in active CS-based packaging.