Abstract
<p>Packaging increases the shelf life of food and facilitates its handling, transportation and marketing. The main packaging materials are plastics derived from petroleum, but their accumulation has given rise to environmental problems. An alternative is the use of biodegradable materials. In this regard, starch is an excellent choice because it is an abundant and renewable source with film-forming properties. However, the films obtained from starch have some limitations with respect to their mechanical and barrier properties. Several strategies have been developed in order to improve these limitations, ranging from the addition of lipids to the modification of the polymer structure. The aim of this review was propose the use of ellagic acid as a cross-linking agent that may improves the mechanical and barrier properties in films based on exists reports that phenolic compounds interact with starch-based materials decreasing their rate of retrogradation. Furthermore, ellagic acid is a powerful natural antioxidant, which would allow the production of active packaging with antioxidant properties, in addition to the improvement of the mechanical and barrier properties of starch films. In this concern more studies such as Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis are necessary to verify the structural changes and interactions between starch and ellagic acid. We expect extensive use of it in the future of packaging materials.</p>
Highlights
Food packaging plays a key role in the conservation, distribution and marketing of food products
The aim of this review was propose the use of ellagic acid as a cross-linking agent that may improves the mechanical and barrier properties in films based on exists reports that phenolic compounds interact with starch-based materials decreasing their rate of retrogradation
This article proposes the use of ellagic acid as cross-linking agent; ellagic acid is a powerful antioxidant that is found in some plant tissues in the form of ellagitannins, which are esters of ellagic acid, and some polyol such as the anhydroglucose molecule
Summary
Food packaging plays a key role in the conservation, distribution and marketing of food products. Starch is a reserve polysaccharide that is found in plant materials in the form of semi-crystalline granules which, depending on the botanical source, vary in shape, size, structure and chemical composition, which affects their functional properties and is composed of two glucose polymer molecules linked by a glycosidic bond; one is a linear molecule known as amylose, and the other a branched molecule known as amylopectin (Campos et al, 2011; Jiménez et al, 2012; Smith, 2001; Tharanathan & Saroja, 2001; Wilhelm et al, 2003) This polysaccharide has shown great potential as a film-forming material and has been extensively studied as such, its films are not suitable for commercial use, mainly due to their poor mechanical properties and high affinity for water (Mali et al, 2002; Schmidt, Porto, Laurindo, & Menegalli, 2013). Many substances with antioxidant capacity are characterized by being phenolic compounds; ellagic acid, a phenolic acid that can form complexes with some proteins and polysaccharides, is one of the natural antioxidants (Kim et al, 2009)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
