Fabrication of antimicrobial food packaging film composed of poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(vinyl alcohol) and vanadium pentoxide nanoparticles for fresh-cut apples freshness

The increasing requirement for environmentally friendly and antimicrobial food packaging underscores the need for effective materials that can prolong the shelf-life of fresh goods. Conventional polymer films often exhibit inadequate antibacterial efficacy and subpar barrier properties, leading to microbial degradation and nutritional depletion. This work focused on the fabrication of a range of nanocomposite films prepared from poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and reinforced with various concentrations of vanadium pentoxide nanoparticles (V₂O₅NPs) to address these constraints. The V₂O₅NPs were produced using a surfactant-assisted hydrothermal method and incorporated into the PMMA/PVA film. The structural investigations of V₂O₅NPs and the prepared films were assessed using a high-resolution transmission electron microscope (HR-TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The optimized film (V₂O₅NPs-4@PMMA/PVA) exhibited a tensile strength of 12.13 MPa compared with 11.25 MPa for pristine PMMA/PVA. The V₂O₅NPs@PMMA/PVA film demonstrated the most potent antibacterial activity, with inhibition-zone widths reaching 22 mm against Salmonella Typhimurium and total microbial growth inhibition after 3 h of exposure. Applied to fresh-cut red apple cubes, the optimized film significantly diminished weight loss by up to 45 %, kept firmness, and noticeably suppressed decay over 14 days of storage at 25 °C. The results indicate that V₂O₅NPs-integrated PMMA/PVA films provide a viable, scalable, and biocompatible solution for active food packaging intended to maintain fruit freshness and safety.