Pomegranate peel polyphenols as an antioxidant additive for the development and characterization of a new active pectin edible film

Abstract Natural origin products are an appealing substitute for nonbiodegradable materials in the production of new materials to improve the packaging properties and to extend the shelf life quality of foods. The objective of this study was to formulate, elaborate, select, partially characterize, and evaluate the biological properties of an edible film based on pectin, candelilla wax, and glycerol, added with pomegranate peel polyphenols (PPP). An exploratory design 2k Box Hunter and Hunter was made, followed by a Box‐Behnken design 3k to evaluate the properties of water vapor permeability (WVP) of the film, resulting in the film with 0.75% w/v of pectin, 0.2% w/v of candelilla wax, 0.05% v/v of glycerol and 0.02% w/v of PPP with one of the lowest values of WVP (1.78E−10 g/m.s.Pa). After characterization, this treatment showed good structural and optical properties and low humidity values compared to a control film. PPP showed the inhibitory capacity for DPPH (61.2%) and ABTS (48.5%) radicals and reducing activity with the reduction of ferric ion (FRAP) reaching a value of 1676.5 mg TE/g PPP.