<p>Paper-based active food packaging has gained popularity due to its biodegradability and non-toxic nature. This study aimed to develop an active biopolymer coating suspension using jackfruit seed starch, beeswax, and different pomelo peel extract (PPE) concentrations (10–20%) for coating on wrapping paper for food packaging applications. Gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy analysis predominantly revealed the coating&#xa0;contained terpenes, including acetate, alcohols, and aldehydes, known for their antioxidant, antimicrobial, aromatic, and hydrophobic properties. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy was used to study the functional groups in uncoated and coated paper. The data indicated the thickness and grammage values&#xa0;of starch- and PPE-coated paper were&#xa0;higher as compared to uncoated paper. The tensile strength of the starch-coated paper (50.40&#xa0;MPa) and PPE-coated paper (47.2–60.14&#xa0;MPa) increased as compared to the uncoated paper (21.5&#xa0;MPa). The barrier properties of coated papers were improved; the data showed that the PPE20-coated paper had the lowest oxygen permeability coefficient (OPC) value (4.61 × 10⁻⁷&#xa0;cm³·cm/cm²·s·Pa). The water absorption capacity of PPE-coated papers was reduced to 33.7%, whereas that of starch-coated paper was lowered to 13.5% as a control. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that voids and surface roughness were reduced after coating. The paper coated with 20% PPE resulted in the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity (61.8%) and total phenolic content (4.2&#xa0;GAE/g), which confirmed the potential of coated paper to preserve the food quality. In conclusion, the developed coating solution was capable of improving the barrier, mechanical, and antioxidant properties of wrapping paper and has the potential to be a sustainable solution for application in food products.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>