Development of antimicrobial paper from unbleached bamboo ASAM pulps reinforced with nanofibrillated cellulose and chitosan.

Despite being biodegradable, paper packages have restricted use in food packaging because of their strong tendency to absorb moisture and their high permeability to liquids and gasses from the environment. Consequently, investigating the application of biodegradable biopolymers, such as nanofibrillated cellulose and chitosan, to enhance characteristics is a pertinent technique. This study developed paper from unbleached bamboo alkaline sulfite anthraquinone and methanol (ASAM) pulps by incorporating nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) and the antimicrobial agent chitosan (CS) into the papermaking process, offering a sustainable solution for advanced food packaging systems.