Data from: Improving properties of chitosan/PVA films using cashew nut Testa extract – potential applications in food packaging

Cashew nut testa, a by-product of cashew nut processing, is abundant in
phenolic compounds and exhibits strong antioxidant properties, making it a
potential additive for enhancing the antioxidant properties of
biodegradable films used in food packaging. This study explores the
fabrication of biodegradable chitosan/PVA polyvinyl alcohol films
incorporating varying concentrations of cashew nut testa extract (CNTE;
0%, 1%, 2%, and 3% v : /v) and evaluates their physical, structural,
mechanical, optical and antioxidant properties. The results demonstrate
that increasing extract concentration generally increased the thickness,
tensile strength, Young's modulus, thermal stability, and antioxidant
capacity of the films, while reducing the moisture content, swelling
degree, elongation at break, and light transmittance. Specifically, the
film with 3% extract showed approximately 11% lower moisture content and
31% lower swelling degree compared with the plain film. It also displayed
the highest tensile strength and yYoung's modulus at 28.63 MPa and
147.335 MPa, respectively. Microstructural analysis revealed that the
incorporation of cashew nut testa extract CNTE resulted in a smoother and
slightly denser film structure. The antioxidant activity, determined by
DPPH ((2,2-Ddiphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) (DPPH) scavenging assay, was not
detected in the plain film but increased with increasing extract
concentration. The film with 3% cashew nut testa extract CNTE exhibited
the highest antioxidant activity of 58.93 µmol TE/Trolox equivalents (TE)
g−1 film. This study highlights the potential of cashew nut testa
extractCNTE as an effective edible additive for developing antioxidant and
UV ultraviolet barrier films with improved mechanical strength and water
resistance for food packaging applications.