Abstract
The growing search for natural alternatives to synthetic food packaging materials and additives has increased, and seaweed extracts’ bioactivity has made them suitable candidates for incorporation in novel edible films. This study aims to investigate the effect of Codium tomentosum seaweed extract (SE) incorporation in alginate and chitosan edible films. Alginate- and chitosan-based films with and without the incorporation of 0.5% SE were characterized according to their physical, optical, mechanical, and thermal properties. Seaweed extract incorporation in chitosan films resulted in an increase of film solubility (50%), elasticity (18%), and decrease of puncture strength (27%) and energy at break (39%). In alginate films, the extract incorporation significantly decreased film solubility (6%), water vapour permeability (46%), and elasticity (24%), and had no effect on thermal properties. Depending on the type of application, the addition of SE in edible films can bring advantages for food conservation.
Highlights
In recent decades, the use of edible films as a bio-based food packaging has become increasingly relevant for researchers and the food industry
The relatively higher ash proportion in seaweed extract (SE) can largely be accounted for by the lower moisture content, which can probably be attributed to the hygroscopic nature of the SE [28]
The results showed that the incorporation of SE did not significantly influence the Water Vapour Permeability (WVP) of chitosan films (p > 0.05)
Summary
The use of edible films as a bio-based food packaging has become increasingly relevant for researchers and the food industry. The incorporation of active substances within the film matrix allows additional product shelf-life extension [1,2], since film functionality can change with the nature of added components [3]. Chitin is the most abundant naturally occurring amino-polysaccharide, is a by-product from the crustacean industries, and its deacetylation produces chitosan. Chitosan is an edible and biodegradable polysaccharide with attractive characteristics—namely, high antimicrobial and antifungal activities [2,4,5]. Chitosan films are an environmentally friendly option for food packaging, and are known to have a high resistance to breakage and elasticity [6,7], two important characteristics for food packaging materials
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