The use of edible protein films in seafood

Abstract

It is used different conservation and packaging techniques in food industry by delaying enzymatic and microbial spoilage. One of the important development in this issue is edible films and coatings. These materials are made from natural biopolymers and constituted with thin layer on the surface of food. Lipid oxidation is prevented, in addition to water, aromatic components, pigments, ions and vitamins are hold in food by edible films. The most important property of edible films is not carrying cancerogenic risk and don’t cause waste problem, which are serious problems in plastic packaging materials. Edible films can fulfill all the functions of a functional package, if they are properly prepared. It is used generally hydrocolloids (protein and polysaccharides), lipids and composites (hydrocolloids+lipid) in the preparation of edible films. Edible protein films are however classified into two groups as plant origin proteins (such as corn zein, wheat gluten, soy protein, pea protein, sunflower protein, peanut protein and cottonseed protein) and animal origin proteins (such as keratin, collagen, gelatin, fish myofibrillar protein, egg white protein, casein and whey protein). Edible protein films, which are produced from protein isolates or protein consantrates, may be also generated by food processing waste as an evaluation method. The aim of this review is to explain mostly used protein films and to moot that the films are prepared directly from main structure proteins or water soluble proteins (at processing waste) and can applied yet to seafood. So, waste problem is reduced bidirectional and more safety seafoods can producted.