The aim of this study was to investigate the possibility of increasing the antimicrobial and antioxidantproperties of biodegradable active films stabilized via Pickering emulsions. The blend films were pre-pared from carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), emulsified with oleic acid (OL)and incorporated with rosemary essential oil (REO). Formation of Pickering emulsion was confirmedby scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical microscopy, mean droplet size and emulsion stability.Morphological, optical, physical, mechanical, thermal, antifungal and antioxidant properties of the filmsincorporated with different concentrations of REO (0.5, 1.5 and 3%) were determined. The results showedan increase in UV absorbance and elongation at break but, a decrease in tensile strength and thermalstability of the films. Interestingly, films containing REO exhibited considerable antioxidant and antimi-crobial properties. In vitro microbial tests exhibited 100% fungal inhibition against Penicillium digitatumin the films containing 3% REO. In addition, no fungal growth were observed after 60 days of storage at25◦C in bread slices were stored with active films incorporated with 3% REO, could attributed to the slowand regular release of REO caused by Pickering emulsions. The results of this study suggest that Pickeringemulsion is a very promising method, which significantly affects antioxidant and antimicrobial activitiesof the films.
