Abstract
The aim of this work was to assess the effect of fish gelatin–citric acid nucleophilic substitution and agar–citric acid esterification reactions on the properties of agar/fish gelatin films. Since temperature is an important cross-linking parameter, films were treated at 90 °C and 105 °C and film properties were compared to those of non-cured films. It was observed that temperature favored the aforementioned reactions, which induced physical and morphological changes. In this regard, darker films with a rougher surface were obtained for the films with a higher cross-linking degree. While mechanical properties were slightly modified, the barrier properties were enhanced due to the reactions that occurred. Therefore, these agar/fish gelatin films cross-linked through two different reactions can be considered to be promising materials as active films for different purposes, such as active packaging or pharmaceutical applications.
Highlights
The valorization of biowastes and their utilization as raw materials leads to a more efficient use of resources and promotes a more circular economy [1,2]
The cross-linking of fish gelatin and agar with citric acid was found to be an alternative way of
The cross-linking of fish gelatin and agarfilms
Summary
The valorization of biowastes and their utilization as raw materials leads to a more efficient use of resources and promotes a more circular economy [1,2]. Fish processing wastes include large quantities of substandard muscles, viscera, heads, skins, fins, frames, and trimmings, which generally account for 30–50% of the total weight of the starting material [9]. These fish wastes represent a source of several potentially valuable molecules [2]—among them, gelatin [10], a protein with unique functional and technological properties. This protein is an processable material due to its linear structure and limited monomer composition, leading to excellent film forming properties [11]. Gelatin is moisture-sensitive [12,13] and has weak mechanical properties [14]; some modifications are necessary to enhance the mechanical behaviour and water stability of gelatin-based materials and, to extend their application domain [15]
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