Efficient Preparation of Amino-Cellulose Nanofibers through Click-like Amino-Yne Functionalization for Antibacterial Fruit Preservation

A rapid and efficient strategy for preparing amino cellulose nanofibers (A-CNFs) via click-like amino-yne functionalization was developed. Cellulose was initially swelled in a catalytic deep eutectic solvent (DES), followed by partial alkynylation with propiolic acid and amination with ε-poly- L -lysine. The optimization of reaction conditions resulted in a process that could be completed in just 7 h at 80 ° C. Antibacterial assays showed that 0.4 wt % A-CNF dispersion inhibited Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus growth by 98.96% and 99.99%, respectively, with complete inhibition achieved at 0.6 wt %. When integrated with poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), the 1% A-CNF/5% PVA coating film displayed superior barrier properties, with water vapor and oxygen transmission rates of 160.5 g·m −2 ·day −1 and 5.462 × 10 −5 cm 3 ·m −2 ·day −1 ·Pa −1 , respectively. Practical application on cherry tomatoes’ preservation demonstrated a 35.7% delay in decay over 14 days at ambient temperature. This study offers an efficient and sustainable solution for active food packaging, highlighting the potential of A-CNFs in fruit preservation.