CHARACTERISTICS OF EDIBLE FILM BASED ON WATER HYACINTH (Eichornia crassipes) AS FOOD PACKAGING INNOVATION

The packaging industry is highly dependent on fossil resources and have serious environmental drawbacks. The largest part of the total volume of plastic waste is generated from food packaging, so new packaging strategies with green materials are required. Using the edible packaging films which are renewable, biodegradable and versatile, can reduce the amount of plastic waste. Also, there is an increasing demand of higher quality foods and a growing interest from consumers for minimally processed fresh-like foods with an extended shelf life. Edible films can be effective barriers which prevent unwanted mass transfers in foods. They can be green alternative to synthetic petroleum-based polymer packaging materials and nowadays this topic is a fast-growing area. Sodium alginate as a natural polysaccharide can be used for edible films with excellent properties such as transparency. But, sodium alginate practical applications in food packaging are limited as single-component because of poor mechanical and barrier properties. At the same time, pullulan is an extracellular and water-soluble microbial polysaccharide with good film-formation properties. The packaging materials made from pullulan and alginate may be better candidates for edible packaging films. The objective of this study was to formulate pullulan and sodium alginate based edible films for food packaging. For that purpose a series of pullulan/alginate films with different ratios were prepared. To improve film flexibility and processability, glycerol was added as plasticizers in the film formulation. Designed films were solvent cast from aqueous polymer solution. Understanding the film-forming mechanism during the drying process is crucial to predict properties of the obtained films, so rheological properties of prepared solutions were investigated. Formulated films have the potential to be used as inner primary packaging and can be manufactured by preparing a film-forming composition and enclosing a food product with the film. Using this kind of packaging material, no waste is generated contributing to the circular economy.

This study investigates the mechanical and physical properties of salep-based edible film. Samples of edible film with varying glycerol concentrations and dry material contents were prepared and studied. The results showed that increasing the dry material content in the film solution from 1% (w/v) to 2% (w/v) decreased water vapor permeability; however, increasing the dry material content from 2% (w/v) to 3% (w/v) increased water vapor permeability. Increasing the dry material and glycerol content increased the tensile strength from 11.82 to 24.5 MPa, the percentage of film length up to the breaking point from 16.16 to 94.3% and the salep edible film thickness from 0.021 to 0.060 mm. This research demonstrated that palmate tuber salep provides the required physical and mechanical properties to give it great potential for use in edible film production. Practical Applications Salep was used as an edible film-forming material. Glycerol was found to be the most effective and stable plasticizer for the film. The physical properties of the film and also its barrier to water were investigated. Salep has potential value as a carbohydrate source that can be used to form biopolymer edible films for packaging of low and intermediate water activity food products. The edible salep films prepared in the present investigation can be applied to food packaging.

One of the greatest challenges encountered by the food industry is the loss of quality of food products during storage, especially perishable foods such as chicken breast, which eventually adds to the waste. Edible films are known as a potential alternative to maintain food quality and also improve shelf life by delaying the microbial spoilage and providing moisture and gas barrier properties. Developments in edible films from biopolymer composites such as fish gelatin, pectin and essential oils have great potential and promising results in enhancing the shelf life of food products. This study was conducted to determine the effect of adding pectin and lemongrass essential oil on the properties of gelatin film and its application to preserve the quality of chicken breast. In this study, the fish skin gelatin and pectin were used with various compositions (100:0; 75:25; 50:50%), with and without the addition of lemongrass essential oil to develop edible films by a casting method. The results showed that the fish gelatin-pectin with the addition of essential oils caused a significant influence on several physicochemical properties such as the thickness, transmittance, transparency, water content, tensile strength, elongation at break and also antioxidant activity (p < 0.05). The antibacterial activity evaluation showed that edible film from a biocomposite of gelatin-pectin (75:25 and 50:50) with the addition of essential oil had an inhibitory effect on Salmonella. The biocomposite of the edible film made from gelatin-pectin and the addition of lemongrass essential oil have the potential to be developed as a food packaging material, especially for perishable food. Based on the result of the application of edible film to chicken breast, it also could maintain the quality of chicken breast during storage.

Mostly, food packaging employs synthetic materials obtained from nonrenewable sources. These packaging materials are based on petrochemicals and cause substantial environmental problems by producing massive amounts of non-biodegradable solid wastes. Edible coatings and films are considered as the potential solution to these problems of non-biodegradable packaging solid wastes for maintaining food-environment interactions, retaining food quality, and extending shelf life. In addition, edible coatings and films offer prevention from microbial spoilage of packed foods by controlling moisture and gas barrier characteristics. Increasing environmental concerns and consumer demands for high-quality eco-friendly packaging have fueled the advancement of innovative packaging technologies, for instance, the development of biodegradable films from renewable agricultural and food processing industry wastes. Therefore, the current chapter presents the application of edible coatings and films as an alternative to conventional packaging, emphasizing the fundamental characterization that these biodegradable packaging should hold for specific applications such as food preservation and shelf life enhancement. The primary employed components (e.g., biopolymers, bioactive, and additives components), manufacturing processes (for edible films or coatings), and their application to specific foods have all been given special consideration in this chapter. Besides, a future vision for the use of edible films and coatings as quality indicators for perishable foods is presented.

Food in general is perishable foods, because the water content contained in it as the main factor causing food damage itself. The need for food packaging that is safe or edible, and does not pollute the environment is the reason in the application of edible antimicrobial film is expected to improve the food safety of mackerel meatballs during storage. This research includes pure research (Experiments) in the Laboratory. The population in this study is fish meatballs made / produced. This study used a complete randomized design factorial. The first factor is the length of storage (0, 12, 24, 36, 48, 60, and 72 hours) while the second factor is the type of packaging (edible film and polyethylene plastic). The treatment in this study is the result of a combination between the first and second factors. The results showed that the use of packaging type and storage length (edible film and plastic polyethylene) had a real effect on the degree of acidity and binding power of water, but had no effect on overall acceptance. Packaging edible antimicrobial film is a packaging that can inhibit the decay process, especially in fish meatballs mackerel up to 72 hours of storage at room temperature.

The edible film is one of the innovations used to overcome the food packaging problem. Components of edible films are hydrocolloids, lipids, and composites. Glycerol belongs to the hydrocolloid group which serves to maintain the solidity of the film sheet. The edible active film allegedly can inhibit physical, chemicals, and microbiology problems in the packaging which will affect the decline of food quality during storage. With the active compounds contained in red ginger it is expected to inhibit the growth of Salmonella bacteria. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the addition of different concentrations of glycerol and red ginger extract on the physical, mechanical, and inhibitory zones in the resulting edible film produced. This research used a nested design with 2 factors. The first factor was the addition of 20% glycerol concentration; 25%; 30% while the second factor is the addition of 0% red ginger extract; 0.5%; 1%; 1.5%. The treatments were 12 treatments with 3 replications. The parameters of this study include thickness, tensile strength, elasticity, WVTR, transparency, moisture content, solubility, density, and edible inhibition zone against Salmonella bacteria. The results showed that edible active red ginger film with the addition of glycerol had a significant effect on thickness, transparency, tensile strength and inhibition zone. On the addition of red ginger extract, 1.5% can inhibit the growth of Salmonella bacteria up to 34.17 mm.

Characteristics of edible films enriched with fruit by-products and their application on cookies

Mechanical properties of tef starch based edible films: Development and process optimization

Recent advances in cellulose, chitosan, and protein-based edible films for sustainable food packaging: A comprehensive review.

Incorporation of essential oils in edible seaweed-based films: A comprehensive review

Edible films have been widely used in food packaging. One of the basic materials of these edible films is starch. One potential source of starch is sorghum which contains 72% starch. However, generally starch-based edible film which contains amylopectin has some weaknesses such as being fragile, easily broken and less flexible. Carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), a cellulose derivative product, is expected to improve the mechanical properties of starch-based edible film. The objective of this work is to study the physical properties of sorgum flour film and the effect of CMC as an additive in the characteristic of edible film biopolymers that produce sorghum flour. The study was started with the production of sorghum starch, and then synthesised with the addition of CMC starch (0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% and 25% w/w), and finally the mechanical characterisation and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis. The tensile test results showed that the addition of CMC has affected the tensile strength, elongation and elasticity. The lowest level of tensile strength was at 7.742 MPa at 0% of CMC concentration and the highest level was at 29.988 MPa with CMC concentration of 10%. The addition of CMC to the film also affected the elongation properties of the sorghum film. The lowest level of elongation of the film was 14% at 0% of CMC concentration and the highest one was 65% at 25% of CMC concentration. The addition of CMC also affected the elasticity of the sorghum film. The lowest elasticity level was 3.1 mm at 0% of CMC concentration and the highest level one was 5.2 mm at 25% of CMC concentration. Whereas, the FTIR analysis results showed that the addition of CMC did not form any new group, which means that the synthesis process occurred only physically.

Using bioactive compounds in environmentally friendly food packaging can extend the shelf life of food. This study aimed to determine how adding clove oil in manufacturing edible coatings and chitosan films affects bacterial activity in skipjack tuna fillets. Edible coatings and films made from 1% chitosan were prepared by adding clove oil with a concentration of 1; 2; 3; 4; and 5%. The edible solution was applied to the skipjack tuna fillets using two packaging techniques: edible coating by immersing the sample for two minutes and edible film by wrapping the sample. The microbial activity test was carried out using the total plate count (TPC) method a microbiological test to count the number of live cells or colony-forming units in food. The maximum number of bacterial colonies using the TPC test based on SNI 01-2332.3-2006 for fishery products is 1.0x105 colonies/g. The number of bacterial colonies in the edible coating sample was 1.9x103–2.4x104 CFU/g, while the edible film sample was 1.8x104–2.4x105 CFU/g. Adding clove oil affected the TPC value compared to the untreated chitosan edible. Using bioactive compounds in environmentally friendly food packaging can extend the shelf life of food. The number of edible coating colonies on adding 1% clove oil was 5.8x103 CFU/g, lower than edible film 4.1x104 CFU/g and complying with SNI. Applying an edible coating on skipjack tuna fillets with 1-5% clove oil is better than using edible film regarding the TPC value.

10 - Biopolymers-embedded nanoemulsions and other nanotechnological approaches for safety, quality, and storability enhancement of food products: active edible coatings and films

One of the most enormous waste is plastic. Most plastic waste can damage the environment on land and in the oceans. Food packaging plastic is switched from conventional to natural materials. The research goal is an analysis of biodegradable, edible film plastic materials. A combination of corn starch (CS) (4, 3.5, 3, 2.5, 2% w/v), iota-carrageenan (IC) (0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2% w/v), and butterfly pea flower extraction (BPE) (0, 4, 8% v/v) can be developed as edible biodegradable films. The method used in this research is bench casting. These edible films are characterized based on physico-mechanical properties, water properties, and biodegradation. The results of water vapor permeability as water properties in CS/IC3 samples was 19.449 g.mm/m2.h.kPa, and in the CS/IC/BPE 3-2 samples was 12.596 g.mm/m2.h.kPa. Based on the results, the tensile strength as physical-mechanical properties of the samples increased as the iota-carrageenan and BPE content occurred in the CS/IC5 sample with a value of 3.32 MPa and the CS/IC/BPE 5-2 sample with a value of 4.93 MPa. The CS/IC/BPE sample extensively reduced cherry tomato weight loss and increased the duration of storage of the studied tomatoes by 10 days. The research shows that the natural material CS/IC/BPE produces a good edible film for packaging.

Food bioactive packaging has received increasing attention from consumers and the food industry for its potential to reduce food waste and environmental issues. Several materials can be used to produce edible films/coats; however, bio-based, cost-effective, and sustainable coatings have gained a high reputation these days. For instance, Aloe vera gel (AV) is a promising bio-based material for edible coatings and films; therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the film-forming abilities of AV and Chitosan (CH) combination as a potential active food packaging material. The physicochemical and mechanical characteristics of formed films of various combinations were prepared at different concentrations, i.e., CH (0.5% w/v), AV (100%), CH:AV (75:25), and CH:AV (60:40). The results showed significant differences among all the prepared edible films wherein these differences were mainly on account of incorporating AV gel. The rheological and antioxidant properties of the formulations improved with the inclusion of AV gel. The films composed of CH:AV (60:40) positively affected the water solubility, thermal properties, and water vapour permeability of the edible films. The X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed that the films composed of CH:AV, (60:40) were amorphous and had smooth morphology. Further, the edible film solutions were applied to fresh figs (Ficus carica) to investigate their role in preserving fruits during storage. A significant reduction in microbial growth was found in coated fruits after 28 days of cold storage. The films composed of CH and AV showed overall improved results compared to the CH (0.5%, w/v). Therefore, the used formulations (CH:AV, 60:40) can form a sustainable film that has the potential to be utilized for fresh product preservation to maintain its quality and shelf life.