Synthesis of Nanocellulose and Its Esterification with Quinic Acid for Antibacterial Film Formation

Abstract The shift towards the use of environmentally friendly biomaterials within the circular economy model has led to increased scientific exploration of cellulose, which is a polymer that is renewable, biodegradable, and widely available in nature. The present work involved the green chemical isolation of nanocellulose (NC) from the corn husk. Then, to produce a quinic acid-modified nanocellulose (Q-NC), the isolated NC was esterified with quinic acid (QA), a naturally occurring bioactive compound. Changes in the structure and the chemical aspects of the material were verified by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (13C NMR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD), while the upgrade in the thermal resistance of Q-NC was evidenced by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Antibacterial tests showed that the Q-NC was very effective in inhibiting bacterial growth. Moreover, molecular docking simulation unveiled that Q-NC had strong interactions with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase domain (PDB IDs: 4WkQ and 2ITY), with the respective binding energies of –12.8 and –11.3 kcal/mol. Besides that, the cheese wrap with PVA/Q-NC films subjected to accelerated storage studies inhibited bacterial spoilage completely up to fifteen days and thus has the potential for food packaging applications. In brief, Q-NC is a potential eco-friendly biomaterial that can be used for both food preservation and wound healing.