Nanocellulose reinforced pectin aerogels as porous platforms for anthocyanin based colorimetric monitoring of fish freshness
INNOVATIVE FOOD SCIENCE & EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES, cilt.112, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 112
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1016/j.ifset.2026.104672
- Dergi Adı: INNOVATIVE FOOD SCIENCE & EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Compendex, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Engineering Source (EBSCO)
- Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Growing interest in sustainable intelligent packaging has increased the demand for biodegradable colorimetric indicators for visual monitoring of food spoilage. In this study, cellulose nanocrystal (CNC)-reinforced pectin aerogels containing red cabbage extract (RCE) were developed as porous colorimetric indicators for fish freshness monitoring. Pectin was ionically crosslinked with calcium and reinforced with CNCs (0-5.0 wt%, relative to pectin), followed by freeze-drying to obtain RCE loaded aerogels. The effects of CNC incorporation on pore morphology, mechanical, antioxidant, and ammonia response properties were systematically investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mercury intrusion porosimetry showed that intermediate CNC incorporation improved pore uniformity and modified the macroporous structure. Mechanical testing demonstrated that AER-CNC2.5 exhibited the highest Young's modulus (99.46 +/- 17.57 kPa), maximum compressive stress, and energy absorption capacity, indicating improved structural robustness. Although formulation dependent differences in pore morphology were observed, no statistically significant differences in apparent ammonia sensitivity or antioxidant activity were detected among the aerogels (p > 0.05). The selected 2.5 wt% CNC formulation (AER-CNC2.5) exhibited an approximately linear Delta E response toward ammonia vapor within the 10-50 ppm range, with a detection limit of 6.85 ppm. Food storage experiments under refrigerated (4 degrees C) and roomtemperature (23 degrees C) conditions showed progressive color evolution in parallel with increasing total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) values. The results demonstrate that moderate CNC incorporation can improve the structural integrity of anthocyanin-loaded pectin aerogels while preserving their practical colorimetric response behavior for intelligent food packaging applications.