Preparation of Bamboo Pulp Packaging Coated Paper and Its Application in Preservation of Cherry Tomatoes

To enhance the barrier properties of bamboo pulp packaging coated paper and investigate its application in fruit preservation, a coating process was employed, in which polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and cellulose nanofibers (CNF) were incorporated to enhance the inherent barrier properties of bamboo pulp packaging coated paper. Montmorillonite (MMT) and citric acid (CA) were loaded at varying mass fractions to prepare a series of CA-PVA-CNF-MMT bamboo pulp packaging coated papers. The microstructure of the coated paper was characterized using scanning electron microscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and its microstructure, barrier properties, and mechanical properties were systematically investigated. Concurrently, cherry tomato preservation experiments were conducted to evaluate the paper’ s preservation effectiveness by observing changes in fruit appearance and measuring weight loss, color, and firmness during storage. The results indicated that, compared with the PC group (pure PVA-CNF coated paper), when the MMT mass fraction was 3.5% and CA mass fraction was 6%, the mechanical properties of coated paper exhibited a high degree of balance, not only combining paper strength and flexibility but also providing moderate water vapor and oxygen barrier properties along with hydrophobic effects. Compared with the uncoated control group, the coated papers in the M4 and A5 groups (with 4.0% MMT and 5% CA) significantly delayed the decrease in cherry tomato firmness and the increase in color difference values, while also reducing weight loss due to physiological metabolism, thereby effectively delaying the quality deterioration process of cherry tomatoes. The research findings aimed to provide a theoretical reference for the development of coated paper for fruit preservation packaging.