Chitosan is a well-known natural food packaging material due to its excellent film formability, biocompatibility, antimicrobility, and non-toxicity.However, its high hydrophilicity, inadequate barrier properties, and unsatisfied mech. strength restrict its broader application.In this study, we developed neg. charged, pectin-containing lignocellulosic nanofibers from young apple and used them as electrostatic crosslinker to improve the chitosan film′s above-mentioned properties.The young apple nanofibers (YANF), along with -COO- content of 3.80 mM g-1 and a ζ potential of -51.70 mV (p < 0.05), were fibrillated by alk. demethylation combined with high-pressure homogenization, resulting in good water dispersibility.The incorporation of 10% YANF as both electrostatic crosslinkers and toughening agents significantly increased the hydrophobicity and mech. properties of the chitosan film, increasing the water contact angle to 100.0°, elongation at break to 20.32% and tensile strength to 54.04 MPa.The barrier properties of the film were also improved, with water vapor permeability (WVP) decreasing to 0.189 ng m-1 s-1 Pa-1, oxygen permeability coefficient (P′O2) decreasing to 356.55 mL μm m-2 day-1 atm-1 and the UV-A barrier property increasing to 97.27%.Furthermore, the C-YANF-10 film effectively preserved the cherries, reducing the decay index to 4.17% and weight loss to 35.50% over a 10-day storage period.The discarded C-YANF-10 completely biodegraded within 15 days after use.This study provides a novel approach to fabricate bio-based films for food preservation and highlights their potential for advancing sustainable food packaging solutions