This work aims to implement the principles of a circular economy in food science by utilizing agricultural waste, specifically peels of three native Indian fruits, namely Kokum (Garcinia indica), Bael (Aegle marmelos), and Jamun (Syzygium cumini), as antioxidants to formulate bioactive, edible films using chitosan-glycerol matrix. According to physicochemical tests, the prepared films had a homogeneous appearance and uniform thickness within the range of 2.55 µm to 6.55 µm. Additionally, all films had excellent optical properties due to high visible light transmittance (>80%). Moreover, the antioxidant activity, quantified based on free-radical scavenging ability measured in the FRAP assay, proved to be much better for the Bael and Jamun coatings (82.35%) than Kokum coatings (62.75%). In regard to the antimicrobial activity in vivo trials carried out on chicken slices inoculated with E.coli bacteria confirmed significant inhibition for the Bael coating with up to 30% bacteria reduction on day 3 and up to 50.5% reduction on day 5, while Jamun and Kokum coatings also exhibited steady-state inhibition at about 10%. Also an in vitro study conducted using bovine serum albumin a protein source and pepsin, pancreatin as digestive enzymes proved different levels of digestibility for the Bael coating (60.20%), Kokum coating (47.70%), and Jamun coating (30.10%). This helps to bridge the gap between waste management, microbiology, and human nutrition.
Aundhakar et al. (2026) studied this question.