Abstract
The growing global awareness about environmental preservation has stimulated the search for alternatives to replace conventional plastics made from fossil sources. One of the advantages is using polymers from renewable sources, such as starch and gelatin, which, in addition to being biodegradable, may also be edible. The incorporation of cranberry into a polymeric matrix can transfer bioactive composite films, colour and flavour to the film, which are characteristic of this fruit, expanding its application to fruit stripes or colourful coatings for specific foods. In this context, the aim of this work was to evaluate the influence of the incorporation of 0, 5, 15, 25, 35, 45 and 55% (solids mass/biopolymer mass) cranberry powder on the microstructure, thermal properties, ascorbic acid content and sensory analysis of gelatin and arrowroot starch films obtained by casting. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images showed that the incorporation of cranberry made the film surface rough and irregular. All films presented an X-ray diffraction pattern typical of a semicrystalline material. The glass transition temperature (Tg) decreased when increasing the concentration of cranberry in films. All films with cranberry presented high ascorbic acid content and were well accepted by the tasters when sensory analysis was performed.
Highlights
The use of packaging is essential, as it plays a fundamental role in controlling the interactions between food and the environment, protecting and maintaining product quality, beyond its basic function of containing the food [1]
Films produced from arrowroot starch and gelatin incorporated with cranberry showed a decrease in TgFilms and were flexible for arrowroot handling; no fractures or grooves were evident
Incorporation produced from starch and gelatin incorporated with The cranberry showed of a cranberry into the film-forming solution in concentrations of and made it difficult to detach the decrease in the glass (Tg) and were flexible for handling; no fractures or grooves were evident
Summary
The use of packaging is essential, as it plays a fundamental role in controlling the interactions between food and the environment, protecting and maintaining product quality, beyond its basic function of containing the food [1]. One alternative to reducing the environmental impact is to use natural polymers for packaging rather than traditional petroleum-based polymers [1,2,3,4,5] Biodegradable polymers are those which, when exposed to the bioactive environment, are degraded by the enzymatic action of living organisms. Polymers 2019, 11, 1650; doi:10.3390/polym11101650 www.mdpi.com/journal/polymers (such as bacteria, yeasts, fungi) and converted at the end of the process to CO2 , H2 O and biomass under aerobic conditions and hydrocarbons, methane and biomass under anaerobic conditions [6] In this regard, both starch and gelatin are natural polymers that have been widely used in the preparation of polymeric matrices for applications such as edible and biodegradable films and coatings in the food industry. Starch has the advantage of being abundant, renewable and present in different forms depending on its origin [2,7]
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