Development and characterization of whey protein isolate and xylan composite films with and without enzymatic crosslinking

Abstract

Biodegradable food packaging provides an environmentally-conscious alternative to plastic food packaging options. This study investigated whey protein edible films containing 10–40 g xylan/100 g whey protein isolate (WPI). Transglutaminase (TG) was used as a cross-linking agent in WPI-only and 40 g xylan/100 g WPI films. The food packaging properties investigated were water vapor permeability (WVP), oxygen permeability (OP), tensile stress, and % elongation at break. Thermal properties were studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Crystallinity and microstructure were assessed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), respectively. Composite films containing 40 g xylan/100 g WPI that were also treated with TG showed the greatest improvement in properties important to food packaging. Compared to the WPI-only control films, WVP decreased from 6.41 to 3.89 g mm/m2 day kPa (p < 0.05), OP decreased from 21.85 to 7.32 cc μm/m2 day kPa (p < 0.05), and tensile stress increased from 6.73 MPa to 15.96 MPa (p < 0.05). The % elongation at break decreased significantly from 12.5% in WPI-only films to 5.8–1.4% in all xylan and TG treated films (p < 0.05). The temperature of melting increased from 121 °C in control films to a maximum of 166 °C in the 20 g xylan/100 g WPI films, indicating increased intermolecular strength. Film microstructure showed separate organization of xylan within films. Crystallinity was identified with increasing xylan content through XRD analysis, suggesting increased polymer packing.