Properties of wheat starch film-forming dispersions and films as affected by chitosan addition

In order to evaluate the impact of chitosan on the physical properties of wheat starch–glycerol films, part of the wheat starch was replaced by chitosan, and the effect of composition on the properties of both the films and the film-forming dispersions was studied. The latter became more stable and viscous as the chitosan proportion was increased in the mixture. Both polymers appeared to integrate homogeneously in the film matrix. The combined effect of the glycerol and chitosan proportions affected the mechanical and barrier properties of the films. The tensile strength and elastic modulus of the films were improved as chitosan ratio increased. The oxygen and water vapor permeability slightly increased in line with the amount of chitosan in the blend although the induced differences were very small. Chitosan ratio directly affected the antimicrobial properties of the films, which showed a significant bactericide activity when the chitosan–starch ratio in the film was 50%. Nevertheless, at a starch:chitosan ratio of 80:20, counts of coliforms did not exceed the initial value in the meat after 7 storage days.