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 t..., , , # Raw data

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.p8cz8wb0d](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.p8cz8wb0d)

This dataset contains raw experimental data on light transmittance, Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA).

The dataset is housed in a single Excel file titled `Raw_data.xlsx`, which contains three sheets:

1-**Light Transmittance**: This sheet includes raw measurements of light transmittance for CHI0, CHI1, CHI2 and CHI3 samples (three replicates for each). The data is structured in columns, with each row representing a measurement point at different wavelengths. Key variables include wavelength (nm), transmittance percentage (%), and sample identifiers.

2-**FT-IR**: This sheet presents the FT-IR spectroscopy data, showcasing the absorbance values across a range of wavelengths of CHI0, CHI1, CHI2, and CHI3 samples. The columns specify the wavenumber and corresponding transmittance value (%).

3-**TGA**: The TGA sheet contains data relating to ...