Chitosan/modified cassava starch/curcumin (CS/S/Cur) films with a crosslinker were developed via the solvent casting technique for the application of food packaging. The effects of citric acid (CA) as a natural crosslinker were assessed at different concentrations (0–10.0%, w/w, on a dry base on CS and S content). To measure the most favorable film, chemical structure and physical, mechanical, and thermal properties were investigated. Successful crosslinking between CS and S was seen clearly in the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectra. The properties of the water resistance of the CS/S/Cur films crosslinked with CA were enhanced when compared to those without CA. Furthermore, it was found that the addition of CA crosslinking would improve the mechanical properties of composite films to some extent. It had been reported that the CA crosslinking level of 7.5 wt% of CS/S/Cur film demonstrated high performance in terms of physical properties. The tensile strength of the crosslinked film increased from 8 ± 1 MPa to 12 ± 1 MPa with the increasing content of CA, while water vapor permeability (WVP), swelling degree (SD), and water solubility (WS) decreased. An effective antioxidant scavenging activity of the CS/S/Cur film decreased with an increase in CA concentrations. This study provides an effective pathway for the development of active films based on polysaccharide-based film for food packaging applications.

In Thai traditional cuisine, a variety of vegetables is frequently served as condiment dishes, offering numerous health benefits due to their richness in phytochemicals and diverse biological properties. In this study, we investigated antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anti-colorectal cancer activities of six southern Thai side dish vegetables: Gnetum gnemon L., Anacardium occidentale L., Glochidion littorale Blume, Micromelum minutum (G.Forst.) Wight & Arn., Spondias pinnata (L.f.) Kurz, and Centella asiatica (L.) Urb. Among all extracts, A. occidentale extracts (AOE), particularly dried leaf extract, demonstrated the most promising biological potential. The dried leaf of A. occidentale showed strong antioxidant activity through the DPPH assay, with an IC50 value of 51 µg/mL. The AOE explicitly showed anti-inflammation by suppressing nitric oxide (NO) upon induction by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in RAW 264.7 macrophages (IC50 7.14 µg/mL) and inhibiting 5-lipoxygenase activity (39.3% inhibition). The dried leaf AOE also possessed potent antibacterial activity by inhibiting food-borne pathogens, including Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli, with MIC values of 0.78 and 1.56 mg/mL, respectively. Regarding anticancer activity, AOE exhibited strong cytotoxicity against HCT116 human colorectal cancer cells (IC50 69.77 µg/mL). Phytochemical analysis revealed that AOE are rich in phenolic and alkaloid compounds. Taken together, the findings from the present study highlight the potential of A. occidentale and its diverse pharmacological properties for further development as nutraceutical health supplements.