An efficient method of improving essential oil retention and sustained release of chitosan films: Ultrasound-assisted preparation of chitosan composites with surface active chickpea proteins

Abstract

This work aimed at preparing chitosan (CHI) composites with surface active chickpea protein (CP) showing better eugenol (EUG) retention and sustained release capacity than pristine CHI films. For this purpose, ionic complexation of CHI with CP (CHI:CP ratio = 2:1, w/w) in the presence of EUG at pH 5.0 was achieved using mechanical homogenization alone (HM) or in combination with ultrasonic homogenization (HM-HUS). The HM-HUS treatment provided better solubility of CP (4.4-fold), increased emulsified EUG in film-forming solutions, and denser films than HM treatment. The composite films obtained using HM-HUS (FLMCHI-CP-EUG/HM-HUS) retained 1.2–1.4-fold higher EUG after drying, and showed almost 2-fold slower EUG release in air at room temperature than composite films prepared by HM, and control CHI films prepared by HM (FLMCHI-EUG/HM) or HM-HUS (FLMCHI-EUG/HM-HUS). The FLMCHI-CP-EUG/HM-HUS films also showed better moisture barrier and mechanical properties than other films. The developed films were proved in a challenging coating application with onions. Escherichia coli and Listeria innocua counts of inoculated and FLMCHI-CP-EUG/HM-HUS (average coating thickness = 4.5 ± 1.3 μm) coated onions were significantly lower than those of uncoated (2.8 and 3.8 log) and FLMCHI/HM-HUS (1.4 and 1.3 log) coated onions after 5-days at room temperature. FLMCHI-CP-EUG/HM-HUS coating also reduced percentage of sprouted onions from 30 to 10% during storage. EUG odor of coated onions could not have been detected by 80% of panelists after 4 weeks. Compositing with CP boosts the performance of essential oil loaded CHI films by enabling use of film matrix as an encapsulant.