This study aimed to characterize cellulose extracted from banana peels and pineapple crown leaves and assess the antioxidant properties of selected plant extracts (gingerol, garlic oil, and avocado oil) as promising raw materials for edible film production. The Banana peels and Pineapple crown leaves were washed, oven-dried, and pulverized to obtain powder samples, BPP and PCP. Cellulose was extracted from BPP and PCP following a series of steps: dewaxing with 70% ethanol, alkali treatment with 5% NaOH, and finally bleaching with 30% hydrogen peroxide to obtain banana peel cellulose (BPC) and pineapple crown leaves cellulose (PCC). Plant extracts, gingerol, garlic oil, and avocado oil, were also extracted from their respective plant sources using bulk cold pressing and solvent extraction, and were named GRA, GOA, and AOA, respectively. The cellulose samples (BPC, PCC, and CCC) were characterized using FT-IR and SEM, and the physicochemical properties (pH, moisture content, swelling power, and solubility) of the cellulose samples were determined using standard methods. BPC and PCC had yields of 8.10% and 12.60%, respectively, while GRA, GOA, and AOA had yields of 8.2%, 6.4%, 10.1% respectively. The mean values for pH of BPC, PCC, and CCC were 6.53, 6.44, and 6.68 respectively. The mean values of moisture of PCC, BPC, and CCC were 8.50, 6.50, and 7.50 respectively. The mean values of swelling power of PCC, BPC, and CCC were 3.60, 3.90, and 3.90, respectively. BPC and PCC were not soluble in any solvent, while CCC was only soluble in deionized water. The antioxidant properties analysis revealed highly significant antioxidant activity of GRA (78.75) in DPPH assay, GOA (50.60a) in ABTS assay, and AOA (22.72a) in FRAP assay. The characterization of BPC, PCC, and CCC evaluated using FT-IR revealed that most lignin and hemicellulose were successfully removed at (≈ 1730 cm⁻¹), and SEM revealed the surface morphology of the cellulose samples. This proves that the cellulose samples and the plant extracts are promising raw materials for film production.
