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In this study, chitosan and sugarcane cellulose were used as film-forming materials, while the inorganic agent zinc oxide (ZnO) and natural compound phenyllactic acid (PA) were used as the main bacteriostatic components to fabricate biodegradable antimicrobial composite membranes. The water absorption and antimicrobial properties were investigated by adjusting the concentration of PA. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) results demonstrated that the components of the composite membrane were successfully integrated. The addition of ZnO improved the mechanical and antimicrobial properties of the composite membrane, while the addition of PA with high crystallinity significantly reduced the water absorption and swelling. Moreover, the addition of 0.5% PA greatly improved the water absorption of the composite membrane. The results of antimicrobial experiments showed that PA improved the antimicrobial activity of the composite membrane against <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i>, <i>Escherichia coli</i>, <i>Aspergillus niger</i> and <i>Penicillium rubens</i>. Among them, 0.3% PA had the best antimicrobial effect against <i>S. aureus</i>, <i>E. coli</i> and <i>A. niger</i>, while 0.7% PA had the best antimicrobial effect against <i>P. rubens</i>.