Ethylene Scavenging and Antioxidant Activity of Agro‐Waste‐Enriched Kappa‐Carrageenan Biofilms for Active Packaging of Fresh Broccoli

ABSTRACT Ethylene and oxygen are major contributing factors for post‐harvest losses of fresh produce. To reduce these losses, packaging materials are used to preserve the quality of fresh produce. This research study created a packaging material using κ‐carrageenan (KC), pumice stone (PS) powder and litchi shell powder (LSP), demonstrating favourable ethylene scavenging and antioxidant activity. The solvent casting method was utilized to fabricate films, after which the prepared films' physical, mechanical, structural, ethylene scavenging and antioxidant characteristics were analysed. The KC/PS/LSP‐2 film (containing 0.25% LSP) had the highest ethylene scavenging activity of 90.8% and 88.7% of antioxidant activity. The shelf‐life analysis of broccoli showed that the broccoli florets packed in KC/PS/LSP‐2 films have preserved freshness and quality compared to the control sample (without film). Overall, the results demonstrated that prepared films can be applied as ethylene scavengers and antioxidant carriers in food packaging.