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Abstract: The overall research objective was to compare the effects of increasing concentrations of candelilla wax (CnW) on the physicochemical and morphological properties of edible films based on different biopolymers: carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), oxidized potato starch (OPS), soy protein isolate (SPI), and gelatin (GEL). The findings are discussed in terms of the stability of emulsion formulations. CnW was incorporated into film-forming solutions at 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0%; sorbitol and Tween 40 were used as the plasticizer and surfactant, respectively. It was found that, with the exception of GEL films, wax incorporation significantly decreased the WVP of the films (from 11.1 to 41.7% compared to the controls). Regardless of the wax concentration used, OPS films had the lowest WVP compared to other films. GEL-based films, in turn, were characterized by the highest mechanical resistance and elongation. The incorporation of CnW decreased both all the analyzed tensile parameters and the puncture strength of the films. Generally, as CnW concentration increased, the transparency and redness of the films decreased, while UV blocking ability and yellowness increased. The 0.5% CnW addition was the most effective in improving water barrier properties, and simultaneously had the lowest impact on the other physical properties of films. For OPS, SPI, and GEL films, sorbitol recrystallization was observed over time. Wax accelerated the sorbitol crystal growth process. CMC films, in contrast to those obtained using other polymers, were completely water soluble and did not exhibit sorbitol crystallization. The emulsion films differed from the wax-free in their surface characteristics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Effects of deproteinization on the degree of oxidation of ozonated starch (corn, sago, and tapioca) were investigated. Starch in dry powder form was exposed to ozone for 10min at different ozone generation times (OGTs: 1, 3, 5, 10min), and then native starches (NS) and deproteinized starches (DPS) were analyzed for protein content. Deproteinization caused a significant reduction in protein content for corn (∼21%) and sago (∼16%) starches relative to NS. Carbonyl and carboxyl contents increased significantly in all ozonated deproteinized starches (ODPS) with increasing OGT. Carbonyl and carboxyl contents of ODPS ranged from 0.03 to 0.13% and 0.14 to 0.28%, respectively. The carboxyl content for all ODPS was significantly higher than that of ozonated native starches (ONS). A Rapid Visco Analyser was used to analyze pasting properties of all starches. Deproteinization increased the pasting viscosities of corn and sago starches compared to their native forms. Generally, pasting viscosity of all ODPS decreased drastically as OGT increased. At the highest oxidation level (10min OGT), all ODPS exhibited the lowest pasting viscosities compared to their ozonated native form, except for peak viscosity, breakdown viscosity, and setback viscosity for ozonated deproteinized corn starch. In conclusion, deproteinization as a pretreatment prior to starch ozonation successfully increased the degree of oxidation in the three types of starch studied. However, the extent of starch oxidation varied among the different starches, possibly due to differences in rates of degradation on amorphous and crystalline lamellae and in rates of oxidation of carbonyl and carboxyl groups. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The microstructure and elastic shear modulus of cold-set gels formed from high-sugar aqueous mixtures of gelatin (7wt%)+oxidized starch (0–6wt%) were investigated as a function of pH. Samples prepared at 90°C, with citric acid added to adjust the pH, were rapidly quenched to ∼1°C, subjected to a standard thermal treatment (40°C for 10min), and then investigated by confocal microscopy and small-deformation rheology at 24°C. Under ‘natural’ conditions of pH≈5.2 (no citric acid addition), the samples exhibited phase separation with a characteristic spinodal-type morphology. The spatial extent of the structural heterogeneity, expressed by a single length-scale parameter, was found to increase with starch concentration. Gradual acidification led to a reduction in this length-scale parameter, leading to complete inhibition of phase separation below a certain characteristic pH value in the range 4.5–4.9 (depending on starch content). Over the investigated pH range, the effect of starch addition was to reduce the storage modulus of the resulting gel. This reduction was more pronounced for the phase-separated samples. The pH of maximum rigidity was found to decrease from pHmax ≈4.6 for 0wt% starch to pHmax ≈4.2 for 6wt% starch. Taken all together, these observations can be understood in terms of the effects of pH on the cross-linking behaviour of the gelatin and the nature of the gelatin–starch electrostatic interactions. The microscopy results are consistent with a transition in behaviour from thermodynamic incompatibility (segregative interactions) at high pH to soluble complexation (associative interactions) at low pH. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We report on small-deformation rheology and confocal microscopy at 24°C of high-sugar gel samples based on an aqueous mixture of gelatin+oxidized (non-gelling) starch exhibiting thermodynamic incompatibility. Using a standard protocol involving the heating of previously rapidly quenched samples at a fixed holding temperature (24–60°C) for a fixed time (from 20s to 30min), gel samples of different storage modulus and degrees of spinodal-type phase separation were systematically generated. The developing time-dependent modulus of the gelatin gel was found to be sensitive to the extent of gelatin crosslinking as influenced by the nature of the thermal processing conditions. Under identical processing conditions, a gradual increase in starch content gave gels of lower elastic modulus and increased degree of microscopic phase separation. Taken all together, our results indicate that the gel rheology is determined by a subtle combination of overall system composition and temperature/time processing history. We conclude that the mechanical properties of this mixed biopolymer system are not directly deducible from the extent of phase separation observed microscopically without detailed additional information concerning sample preparation and treatment conditions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]