Paska Dwirotama Simbolon, Setyadi Gumaran, Zunanik Mufidah, David Septian Sumanto Marpaung
This study focuses on the development of an alginate-based film enhanced with beeswax and zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NP) for food packaging applications. The alginate film was initially synthesized with the addition of beeswax and ZnO-NP, and its physical, mechanical, and barrier properties were characterized. Using response surface methodology (RSM), an optimal formulation was designed to enhance the film’s overall performance. The optimized film was achieved with 1.13% beeswax and 1.73% ZnO-NP, resulting in a moderate thickness of 0.076 mm, tensile strength of 5.70 MPa, and elongation of 33.45%. Additionally, the film exhibited good moisture resistance with a water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of 25.11 g/m2·day and moderate water solubility of 85.60%. These findings highlight the potential of beeswax and ZnO-NP as effective additives for alginate films, offering a solution for food packaging while maintaining key functional properties. © 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Department of Biosystems Engineering, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, Lampung Selatan, 35365, Indonesia; Sustainable Tropical Agrotechnology Group, Faculty of Industrial Technology, Institut Teknologi Sumatera, Lampung Selatan, 35365, Indonesia