Abstract
The consumption of organic products has increased in recent years. One of the most important products in Mexico is nopal. Nopal’s content and properties make the formulation of edible films possible. In this study, we aimed to develop and characterize biodegradable edible films containing mucilage from Opuntia ficus-indica. The mucilage extraction yield, thickness, color, water vapor permeability, light transmission rate, film transparency, solubility, stability of dispersion, and puncture strength were measured. The use of mucilage from different cultivars affected the water vapor permeability (8.40 × 10−11 g·m−1·s−1·Pa−1 for cultivar Villanueva, 3.48 × 10−11 g·m−1·s−1·Pa−1 for Jalpa, and 1.63 × 10−11 g·m−1·s−1·Pa−1 for Copena F1). Jalpa provided the most soluble mucilage with the highest thickness (0.105 mm). Copena F1 provided the clearest film with the greatest transparency (3.81), the best yellowness index, and the highest resistance (4.44 N·mm−1). Furthermore, this film had the best light transmission rate (48.93%). The Copena F1 showed the best film formation solution viscosity. These results indicate that mucilage mixed with pectin is a potential source for the formulation of edible films.
Highlights
In the last several years, interest in the production of edible films has increased because they present a series of advantages, such as prolonging the shelf life of foods and reducing the use of plastics
The results suggested that the interaction between chitosan and mucilage can increase water vapor permeability
The aim of our current study is to evaluate formulations of edible films based on organic mucilage from Opuntia ficus-indica and pectin
Summary
In the last several years, interest in the production of edible films has increased because they present a series of advantages, such as prolonging the shelf life of foods and reducing the use of plastics. Many film-forming materials such as starch [1,2,3,4], gelatin [5], chitosan [6,7,8], cellulose [9], carboxymethyl cellulose [10], methylcellulose [11], pectin [12,13], agar [14], alginate [15,16], carrageenan [16], zein [17], etc., have been used. Mucilage from Mexican Opuntia ficus-indica is suitable for large-scale production due to its abundance in Mexico, low cost, nontoxicity, biodegradability, biocompatibility, film-forming capacity, and renewability. Grown and harvested in arid and semiarid regions worldwide, with diverse industrial applications. It is widely cultivated and consumed in Mexico and was one of the first foods produced around the world for human consumption. The mucilage is separated and removed from products because the sap may confer undesirable textural
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