Zehra Özbaş, Seda Özgen
ABSTRACT Food spoilage in meat products has become a significant concern due to the increasing consumption of meat over the years. Innovative packaging entails the development of novel designs to safeguard food quality and safety. The research presented smart indicators created by incorporating cranberry (CR) anthocyanins into a pullulan (PUL), xanthan gum (XG) and ĸ‐carrageenan (CARR) matrix (PXC) designed to provide real‐time information. The films did not exhibit chemical interaction between the polymer matrix and CR, higher crystallinity, a homogenous surface morphology and better thermal stability as determined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X‐ray diffractometer (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and thermogravimetric analyser (TGA). The colour response, freshness and microbiological purity of the fish samples were monitored by smart PXC‐CR3 film containing 200 mg CR extract. The changes in the total colour difference ( ΔE ), the total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB‐N) concentration and the total viable count (TVC) levels of the fish samples were investigated during the storage period. On the 7th day, TVB‐N and TVC values were found to be 33.56 ± 0.04 mg/100 g and 7.65 ± 0.02, respectively. Meanwhile, the smart PXC‐CR3 film changed from pink to yellowish brown, distinguishable to the naked eye, throughout the shelf life of the fish samples. The proposed film has enormous potential for food freshness monitoring, which might help consumers assess the quality of meat, poultry, fish, and so on, without compromising the integrity of the food packaging.