Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 Journal of Food Measurement and Characterization (2021) 15:4813–4824 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11694-021-01055-w ORIGINAL PAPER Preparation and characterization of chitosan‑based bioactive flms incorporating Moringa oleifera leaves extract Daniel I. Chan‑Matú 1  · Víctor M. Toledo‑López 1  · María de Lourdes Vargas y Vargas 1  · Susana Rincón‑Arriaga 1  · Armida Rodríguez‑Félix 2  · Tomás J. Madera‑Santana 2 Received: 1 May 2021 / Accepted: 29 June 2021 / Published online: 9 July 2021 © The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2021 Abstract The addition of bioactive components, especially antioxidants, and plasticizers are good strategies to improve the properties of edible flms. This study aimed to evaluate the efect of adding Moringa oleifera ethanolic extract (MEE) and glycerol (G) in chitosan (C) flms. Two concentrations of MEE (0.07 and 0.15% wt) and two concentrations of G (20 and 40% wt) were incorporated and their efect on the physical, mechanical, optical, barrier, structural, morphological, and bioactive properties of the flm was evaluated. In physical properties, the incorporation of G increased the density and moisture in 78.2% and 71.3%, respectively. However, the addition of MEE afected the solubility. Films with 40% wt of G and MEE exhibited an antiplasticiz- ing efect, which was observed in a decrease of 38.3% in tensile strength (TS) and 72.1% in percentage of elongation at break (% E b ) values. In the optical properties, the addition of MEE acted as a barrier to light transmission. The water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of some flms showed a decreased up to 6.5% due to the presence of MEE compared to control flms. In structural properties, infrared spectroscopy revealed that the structure of the flms was slightly modifed. Scanning electron micrographs showed that the flms were homogeneous and flms with 40% wt G showed two phases on their surface. Films with 40% wt G and 0.15% wt MEE presented the highest content of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity. This formulation showed suitable physicochemical properties and could be considered as a potential material for active packaging for food products. Graphic abstract Keywords Biopolymeric flm · Casting flm · Physicochemical properties · Glycerol · Antioxidant activity Extended author information available on the last page of the article