<p>Ginger (<i>Zingiber officinale</i> Roscoe.) is a widely valued spice with significant global importance, and maintaining its postharvest quality is crucial during storage. This study investigated the effects of various nanocomposite packaging films, storage atmospheres (vacuum and ambient air), and storage durations (0, 3, 6, and 9&#xa0;months) on the quality attributes (color parameters, essential oil (EO) content and composition, total phenolic content (TPC)) of ginger rhizomes. After three months of storage, color parameters including brightness (L*), greenness/redness (a*), and hue remained relatively unchanged. However, prolonged storage up to six and nine months resulted in significant declines in brightness and hue, along with a marked increase in the a* value. Additionally, the yellowness/blueness index (b*), color intensity (chroma), and browning index (BI) significantly increased over time, with no substantial differences observed between the 6- and 9-month time points. Among the tested packaging films, F9 (comprising 5% nanoclay, 5% compatibilizer, and 90% high-density polyethylene) and F11 (0% nanoclay, 5% compatibilizer, and 95% high-density polyethylene) demonstrated superior performance in minimizing color degradation under normal air conditions. Nanocomposite packaging, particularly under vacuum conditions, was highly effective in preserving TPC and EO, showing improvements of 13.73% and 47.84%, respectively, compared to the control. Notably, F9 and F10 (5% nanoclay and 95% high-density polyethylene) packaging films significantly contributed to the retention of key volatile compounds such as α-zingiberene and β-sesquiphellandrene after nine months of storage. Overall, nanocomposite packaging formulations showed the greatest potential for maintaining the quality of ginger rhizomes over prolonged storage periods.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>