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Gelatin (bovine/porcine)-based edible films are considered as an excellent carrier for essential oils (EOs) to preserve food quality and extend their shelf life. Spearmint essential oil (SEO) is known for its potential antioxidant and antimicrobial effects; nevertheless, its food applications are limited due to the volatile nature of its active components. Thus, edible films loaded with essential oil can be an alternative to synthetic preservatives to improve their food applications. In the present study, the effect of SEO addition was investigated on the physicochemical properties of bovine and porcine gelatin films, and antioxidant activity was assessed. GCMS (Gas chromatography mass spectrometry) analysis revealed the presence of carvone (55%) and limonene (25.3%) as major components. The incorporation of SEO into the films decreased the opacity, moisture content, water solubility, and elongation at break of bovine and porcine gelatin films. However, with the addition of EO, the thickness and water vapor permeability of bovine and porcine-based gelatin films increased. Moreover, the addition of SEO increased the tensile strength (TS) of the porcine-based film, whereas bovine samples demonstrated a decrease in tensile strength. XRD (X-ray diffraction) findings revealed a decrease in the percentage crystallinity of both types of gelatin films. SEM (scanning electron microscope) results showed the changes in the morphology of films after the addition of SEO. Antioxidant properties significantly (p < 0.05) increased with the incorporation of EO when compared with control films. Therefore, the addition of SEO to gelatin-based edible films could be an effective approach to prepare an active food packaging material to prevent food oxidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality and safety of food products greatly depend on the physiochemical properties of the food packaging material. There is an increasing trend in the utilization of protein-based biopolymers for the preparation of edible films and coating due to their film-forming properties. Various studies have reported the preparation of protein-based edible films with desirable mechanical and barrier properties. The mechanical attributes of the protein-based food packaging materials can be enhanced by incorporating various components in the film composition such as plasticizers, surfactants, crosslinkers, and various bioactive compounds, including antimicrobial and antioxidant compounds. This review article summarizes the recent updates and perspective on the mechanical attributes such as Tensile Strength (TS), Elongation at Break (EAB), and Young's Modulus (YM) of edible films based on different proteins from plants and animal sources. Moreover, the effects of composite materials such as other biopolymers, bioactive compounds, essential oils, and plasticizers on the mechanical properties of protein-based edible films are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aqueous extract of fruit obtained from Ficus racemosa enriched with phenolic components was used for the first time to fabricate chitosan (CS) and sodium alginate (SA)-based edible films. The edible films supplemented with Ficus fruit aqueous extract (FFE) were characterized physiochemically (using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Texture analyser (TA), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and colourimeter) and biologically (using antioxidant assays). CS–SA–FFA films showed high thermal stability and high antioxidant properties. The addition of FFA into CS–SA film decreased transparency, crystallinity, tensile strength (TS), and water vapour permeability (WVP) but ameliorate moisture content (MC), elongation at break (EAB) and film thickness. The overall increase in thermal stability and antioxidant property of CS–SA–FFA films demonstrated that FFA could be alternatively used as a potent natural plant-based extract for the development of food packaging material with improved physicochemical and antioxidant properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current work, we fabricated gelatin–casein-based edible films (GC-EFs) crosslinked with gallic acid (GA). We analyzed the physiochemical characteristics, crystallinity, thermal stability, and surface properties of the EFs using Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that the edible films possessed a semi-crystalline structure. Addition of GA enhanced the thermal stability of the edible films as well as the surface properties of the films. It was found that a higher concentration of GA (4–5% w/v) significantly improved the surface properties, observed in the surface and cross-sectional examination of SEM micrographs. EFs containing higher amounts of GA showed more compact and denser structures with smoother and more homogeneous surfaces than the control samples. In addition, swelling degree (SD), thickness, water solubility (WS), moisture content (MC), and water vapor permeability (WVP) were found to be low in EFs containing more GA concentration. Mechanical parameters revealed that the Young modulus (Ym) and tensile strength (TS) increased with a rise in GA concentration, and elongation at break (EB) reduced with a rise in GA concentration. In transparency and color analysis, it was observed that GA positively affected the transparency of the edible films. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biopolymers-based composite edible films are gaining interest in the food packaging industry due to their sustainable nature and diverse biological activities. In the current study, we used sodium alginate (SA) and casein (CA) for the fabrication of composite film using the casting method. We also added orange oil to the edible film and assessed its impact on the biological, chemical, physical, and barrier properties of the films. The fabricated films were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). It was observed that CA–SA films loaded with 1.5% OEO had better visual attributes, and a further increase in oil concentration was not found to be as favorable. Mechanical assessment of the films revealed that CA–SA-OEO (1.5%) film showed lower puncture deformation and higher puncture force values. XRD data showed that all samples exhibited peaks at similar positions (21° of 2θ) with different intensities. In FTIR analysis, characteristic peaks of the film components (sodium alginate, casein, and orange oil) were reported at corresponding positions. The thermal stability of films was enhanced after the addition of the OEO (1.5%), however, a greater increase in OEO caused a decrease in the thermal stability, observed during TGA analysis. Moreover, the surface of the blank CA–SA film (FL1) was found to be rough (with cracks) compared to CA–SA films (FL2) containing 1.5% OEO. Additionally, FL2 was found to be relatively better than the other samples in terms of swelling degree (SD), thickness, water solubility (WS), oxygen permeability (OP), water vapor permeability (WVP), moisture content (MC), and transparency (T). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]