Abstract
ABSTRACTIn this article, the characteristics and structure of rabbit skin gelatin (RG) films were measured and compared with porcine skin gelatin (PG) films. The RG film was 8–10 μm thinner than that of PG film. RG films had better resistance to water and lower water solubility than did the PG film with the same gelatin and glycerol ratio due to the difference in their amino acid composition. The two types of gelatin films were almost transparent, which could give food a good appearance quality if these are used as packaging films. Both showed excellent barrier properties against UV light and could prevent the lipid oxidation reaction induced by ultraviolet light in the food system. The RG and PG films showed similar trends in mechanical properties as the change of their components. In general, the rigidity of the RG films was slightly lower than that of the PG films, but the flexibility was more prominent. This was due to intense interaction between gelatin molecules and glycerol molecules in RG films, but the dominant interaction was between the gelatin molecules in the PG films. The surfaces and cross-section microstructures of the RG and PG films were smooth and homogeneous， however for the RG films were more compact compared with the PG films.
Highlights
Plastic products made from petroleum-based polymeric materials are widely used in food packaging due to their good structural properties, water and gas barrier properties, low production cost and unique aesthetic properties.[1]
Gómez et al.[29] found that the thickness of the bovine gelatin films prepared on a 120 × 120 mm2 plate with 40 mL gelatin solutions at a concentration of 4 g/100 mL were approximately 100 μm, and the thickness was the same as the porcine skin gelatin (PG) films in the experiment but slightly thicker than the rabbit skin gelatin (RG) films
More glycerol molecules could penetrate the gelatin network quickly to interact with the gelatin molecules that contributed to forming a thicker gelatin film.[30]
Summary
Plastic products made from petroleum-based polymeric materials are widely used in food packaging due to their good structural properties, water and gas barrier properties, low production cost and unique aesthetic properties.[1]. Natural biopolymers have been increasingly gaining attention in the manufacturing of biodegradable films because of their biocompatibility and biodegradability.[3]. Proteins as homopolymers have a unique structure (based on 20 different monomers) that is contrary to polysaccharides, which confers a wider range of potential functions in natural biopolymers, especially high intermolecular binding potential. [5] Gelatin is a soluble protein derived from the partial hydrolysis of collagen that has attracted attention for the development of biodegradable films due to its abundance, biodegradability and excellent film-forming properties.[6,7,8] Gelatin has been the most popular studied material for the preparation of biodegradable packaging films because it could be used as an outer coating to protect food against drying, light and oxygen.[9] Proteins as homopolymers have a unique structure (based on 20 different monomers) that is contrary to polysaccharides, which confers a wider range of potential functions in natural biopolymers, especially high intermolecular binding potential. [4] the mechanical and barrier properties of protein-based films are better than those of polysaccharide-based films. [5] Gelatin is a soluble protein derived from the partial hydrolysis of collagen that has attracted attention for the development of biodegradable films due to its abundance, biodegradability and excellent film-forming properties.[6,7,8] Gelatin has been the most popular studied material for the preparation of biodegradable packaging films because it could be used as an outer coating to protect food against drying, light and oxygen.[9]
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