Sunflower seed meal protein (SP) films were prepared using various plasticizers, cross-linking agents, Cloisite Na+ or red algae, and their physical properties, such as tensile strength (TS), elongation at break (E), and water vapor permeability (WVP) were determined. The TS, E, and WVP of the SP film containing sucrose and fructose (2:1) as a plasticizer and cinnamaldehyde as a cross-linking agent were 3.05 MPa, 34.42%, and 2.25 x 10(-9) g m/m(2) s Pa, respectively. The incorporation of Cloisite Na+ improved the physical properties of the SP film. The TS of the SP/Cloisite Na+ composite film containing 3% Cloisite Na+ increased by 2.19 MPa, and the WVP of the composite film decreased by 0.52 x 10(-9) g m/m(2) s Pa compared to the SP film. The incorporation of red algae also improved the TS of the SP film. The TS of the SP composite film containing 1.2% red algae increased by 3.82 MPa compared to the SP film. In addition, an SP/red algae composite film containing grapefruit seed extract (GSE) was prepared and used in food packaging. After 12 days of storage, the population of Listeria monocytogenes inoculated on smoked duck meats packed with the SP/red algae composite film containing 1.2% GSE decreased by 1.31 log CFU/g compared to the control packaging. Therefore, these results suggest that SP composite films can be prepared by the addition of red algae to the SP film-forming solution and that the SP/red algae composite film containing GSE can be used as an antimicrobial food packaging material. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.