Sheng-Yen TsaiPei-Yu WeiChao-Kai ChangYu-Chi ChengShella Permatasari SantosoShi-Ying HuangKuan-Chen ChengChang-Wei Hsieh2025-05-192025-05-192025-05-0100236438https://www.scopus.com/record/display.uri?eid=2-s2.0-105001825464&origin=resultslisthttps://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/729467Article number: 117724This study aims to develop an equilibrium-modified atmosphere packaging (EMAP) system by incorporating poly-gamma-polyglutamic acid (γ-PGA) as a sustainable coating material to enhance gas selectivity in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) films. The objective is to achieve a controlled gas permeability that optimizes the packaging environment for extended food preservation. The γ-PGA coating treatment increases the tensile strength, gas barrier properties, and CO2/O2 selectivity of the composite film, which accelerates the gas composition change to a low-oxygen and high-carbon dioxide concentration environment for fresh-cut papaya (FCP). The prepared EMAP film coated with 5 % γ-PGA maintained a balanced gas content of 7.27 %–10.50 % CO2 and 13.03 %–7.80 % O2 for FCP over 12 days of storage, which reduced the respiration rate by 29.37 % of FCP. Quality was well maintained, with a 31.65 % reduction in weight loss and a 42.98 % reduction in firmness loss compared to the LDPE packaging. γ-PGA coating provides suitable gas transmission rate properties for fresh-cut papaya, extending the quality deterioration period by 6 days compared to pure LDPE. This research explores the potential of utilizing γ-PGA in EMAP, demonstrating its effectiveness as a sustainable coating material. The findings indicate that gas transmission and selectivity properties can be modulated by adjusting the coating concentration, offering flexibility for food preservation technologies.trueEquilibrium modified atmosphere packagingFresh-cut fruitGas barrierGas permeation selectivePapayaγ-Polyglutamic acidjournal article10.1016/j.lwt.2025.1177242-s2.0-105001825464