Cinnamon essential oil pickering emulsion-gellan gum composite films: A sustainable active packaging strategy for pork preservation.

This study developed a Gellan gum (G)-based active packaging film incorporating cinnamon essential oil (CEO)-loaded Pickering emulsions stabilized by zein nanoparticles (ZNP) to enhance pork preservation. The ZC3 emulsion exhibited optimal stability with a particle size of 408.9 nm, zeta potential of 37.06 mV, and polydispersity index (PDI) <0.4. Incorporation of Pickering emulsions into G film reduced tensile strength (TS) and water vapor permeability (WVP) while improving flexibility, with elongation at break (EAB) peaking at 21.99 % for the GZC3 film. The release profile of CEO from the GZC3 film was determined in food simulants (50 % and 95 % ethanol solutions), showing release rates of 66.82 % and 60.13 %, respectively. When applied to pork preservation at 4 °C, the GZC3 film maintained key parameters within acceptable limits during the 5 days storage period: pH (5.89), total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N, 16.23 mg/100 g), and total viable count (TVC, 5.08 lg CFU/g), thereby extending the shelf life by nearly 5 days. These results demonstrate the potential of ZNP-stabilized CEO Pickering emulsion films as sustainable slow-release packaging for pork preservation, effectively balancing mechanical performance and antimicrobial efficacy.