Effect of drying temperature and beeswax content on physical properties of whey protein emulsion films

The objective of this work was to study the effect of drying temperature and the beeswax (BW) content on the physical properties of whey protein emulsion films. For this purpose, films were obtained by the casting method and dried at two selected temperatures (5 and 25 °C). Film thickness, water vapor permeability (WVP), solubility and mechanical properties were measured. The results showed that the decrease in drying temperature from 25 to 5 °C reduced the WVP and increased the solubility of the films containing BW. The effect of drying temperature on the mechanical properties was significant in the tensile test but not in the puncture test. The addition of BW decreased the WVP and the solubility and also had a significant effect on the evaluated parameters in both mechanical tests. In general, this effect was observed at both drying temperatures studied. Therefore, taking into account the several applications of the coatings the optimization of coating formulations and drying conditions is of vital importance.     

Stability of the mechanical properties of edible films based on whey protein isolate during storage at different relative humidity

Formulations for whey protein isolate (WPI)-based films include low molecular weight plasticizers, which implies certain degree of instability of films properties due to plasticizer migration. The aim of this work was to study the effect of storage time on the mechanical properties of WPI films plasticized with two low molecular weight polyols: glycerol (Gly) and sorbitol (Sor). Films were stored inside cabins at 50% or 75% relative humidity (RH) and at room temperature. Mechanical properties and moisture content were measured at regular intervals for 30 weeks. The effect of plasticizer type and content and RH on mechanical properties right after equilibrium (1 week) was also included in this study.     

Physico-chemical properties of whey protein isolate films containing oregano oil and their antimicrobial action against spoilage flora of fresh beef

Antimicrobial films were prepared by incorporating different levels of oregano oil (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5% w/w in the film forming solution) into sorbitol-plasticized whey protein isolate (WPI) films. The moisture uptake behavior and the water vapor permeability (WVP) were not affected by the addition of oregano oil at any of the concentrations used. A reduction of the glass transition temperature (∼10–20 °C), as determined by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA), was caused by addition of oil into the protein matrix. A decrease of Young modulus (E) and maximum tensile strength (σ_max) accompanied with an increase in elongation at break (%EB) was observed with increasing oil concentration up to a level of 1.0% (w/w). Wrapping of beef cuts with the antimicrobial films resulted in smaller changes in total color difference (ΔΕ) and saturation difference (Δ_chroma) during refrigeration (5 °C, 12 days). The maximum specific growth rate (μ_max) of total flora (total viable count, TVC) and pseudomonads were significantly reduced (P < 0.05) by a factor of two with the use of antimicrobial films (1.5% w/w oil in the film forming solution), while the growth of lactic acid bacteria was completely inhibited. These results pointed to the effectiveness of oregano oil containing whey protein films to increase the shelf life of fresh beef.     

Properties of and mechanisms of protein interactions in films formed from different proportions of heated and unheated whey protein solutions

A range of films were formed using different proportions of heated (80°C for 30 min) and unheated whey protein isolate (WPI) solutions. The films, with lower proportions of heated WPI solution had lower percentage elongation, tensile strength and Young's modulus, higher solubility and, in general, similar water vapour permeability, compared with a film formed from a heated WPI solution. Hydrophobic interactions and hydrogen bonding dominated in the formation of the films with lower proportions of heated WPI solution, whereas disulphide bonding played a more important role in the formation of films with higher proportions of heated WPI solution.     

Effect of the unsaturation degree and concentration of fatty acids on the properties of WPI-based edible films

The incorporation of lipids into hydrophilic protein films allows the modification of their barrier properties, improving its commercial application as preservation medium on different foods. The main objective of this study was to develop films from Whey Protein Isolate (WPI) together with saturated and unsaturated fatty acids and to determine the effect of concentration and unsaturation degree on surface tension of the coating solution and on water vapor permeability (WVP), mechanical properties (tensile strength and elongation at break), and opacity, of the films. The results obtained showed that surface tension was significantly decreased by adding unsaturated fatty acids (oleic and linoleic acid), whereas the greatest effect on WVP reduction was achieved with stearic acid. The addition of stearic acid resulted in a decrease of elongation and an increase of tension strength; however unsaturated fatty acid content did not modify the elongation and slightly reduce a tensile strength.     

Thermal and mechanical properties of soy protein films processed at different pH by compression

Glycerol-plasticized soy protein isolate (SPI) based films were prepared by compression with the aim to obtain environmentally friendly materials for packaging applications. Previously to the hot-pressed step, the protein was dispersed in water, the pH was fixed to values higher, lower and at the isoelectric point of SPI (pH = 4.6), and the dispersion was freeze-dried. The effect of pH on physico-chemical properties has been explained using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and thermo-gravimetric analysis (TGA). The changes observed by FTIR in the intensity of the bands corresponding to the amide group showed that pH affected protein–glycerol interactions. Apart from pH effect, heat and pressure also affected the grade of denaturation of SPI shown by the disappearance of the DSC peak corresponding to 7S globulin. Mechanical properties were also evaluated and related to pH and storage time. Both tensile strength and elongation at break are higher at basic pHs, when the unfolding of protein seems to be optimum in order to interact with the plasticizer. Mechanical properties remained invariable after having been stored under specific conditions for two months. Preparation of SPI-based biofilms processed at different pHs by compression is an innovative study in this field, in which the most employed technique to prepare films has been casting.     

Physical assessment of composite biodegradable films manufactured using whey protein isolate,gelatin and sodium alginate

Composite films were manufactured using whey protein isolate (WPI), gelatin (G) and sodium alginate (SA) using a simplex centroid design. Tensile strength (TS), puncture strength (PT), percentage elongation at break point (E), tear strength (TT), water vapour permeability (WVP) and oxygen permeability (OP) of films were evaluated. The interactions between biopolymers showed quadratic effects (P < 0.01) on TS, E, PT, TT and WVP values. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed to investigate the microstructures of composite films. The proportion of ingredients required to produce the optimum composite films was determined to be: WPI (g):G (g):SA (g) = 8.0:12.0:5.0. Overall, films (WPIGSA-9) produced using the combination of WPI (g):G (g):SA (g) = 10.0:16.0:14.0 demonstrated the best barrier to oxygen (8.00 cm³ μm/m² d kPa); while films (WPIGSA-1) showed the best barrier to water vapour (48.04 g mm/kPa d m²); films (WPIGSA-6) using the combination of WPI (g):G (g):SA (g) = 10.0:17.5:22.5 had the best mechanical properties of all of the experimental composite films tested.     

Physical properties and sensory evaluation of WPI films of varying thickness

The effect of varying thickness on the water barrier properties, tensile properties and sensory characteristics of glycerol-plasticised whey protein isolate (WPI) films was investigated. Thickness was varied by preparing films with increasingly dilute film forming WPI solutions in the range 9.5-2.3 g protein/100 g. All films had a glycerol to protein ratio of 0.37 (Gly: Pro). Tensile strength (TS), elastic modulus (EM) and film permeance were unaffected by film thickness but maximum load (ML) and % elongation (E) decreased (P<0.05) with decreasing thickness. In a sensory test with crackers and melted cheese, panelists could readily detect the thickest films (79 μm) but not the thinnest films (23 μm) (P<0.05). The results indicate that reducing the thickness of glycerol plasticised WPI films makes them less perceptible in a food system while maintaining moisture barrier and certain tensile properties.     

Properties of triticale flour protein based films

Triticale flour proteins based films were developed. Solubility in water, water vapor permeability (WVP), and mechanical properties of triticale films are presented. The effects of thermal treatments and glycerol concentration were also evaluated. WVP values were in the range 0.10-4.22 × 10⁻¹⁰ g m⁻¹ s⁻¹ Pa⁻¹. Tensile strength (TS) and percentage of elongation (%E) were in the range 2.9-0.20 MPa and 250-110% respectively. Total soluble matter (TSM), WVP, and %E decreased with the increase in the curing temperature. More plasticized films presented greater TSM, WVP, %E and lower values of TS. At a giving temperature (T) and glycerol concentration, an increase in relative humidity (RH) resulted in higher values of TSM, WVP, %E and lower TS values. It was observed that in films with the same treatments and conditioning, WVP increased with the increase in measurement temperature. Triticale proteins showed suitable film-forming capacity for the formulation of biodegradable films.     

Effect of montmorillonite clay and biopolymer concentration on the physical and mechanical properties of alginate nanocomposite films

Alginate-based nanocomposites at different montmorillonite clay (MMT) loadings were produced by solvent casting method. The combined effect of biopolymer and MMT content on the mechanical and physical properties of the obtained nanocomposites was investigated. The MMT weight percent relative to alginate was varied from 1% to 5% and polymer concentration was 1 and 1.5% w/v. Films containing 5% (wt/wt) of MMT show, with respect to neat alginate, reduced water permeability of about 19% and 22% and an increased water solubility of about 36% and 40%, for 1% and 1.5% alginate films, respectively. The tensile strength of neat alginate films increased significantly with increasing alginate concentration (about 36%) but slightly increased with increasing clay content up to 3%. The values of elongation decreased with increasing the both of clay content and polymer concentration. Results on X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed well developed exfoliated nanocomposite films especially at low level of nanoclay addition.     

Classification,modeling and prediction of the mechanical behavior of starch-based films

The starch-based film properties database was created with 8 variables and 322 observations collected from the literature. The selected variables were: (1) the starch origin (potato, cassava (tapioca), corn (maize), wheat, yam), (2) the starch concentration, (3) the amylose content, (4) the glycerol concentration, (5) the ambient relative humidity during storage, (6) the aging time of films and two mechanical properties of the starch films at break, (7) tensile strength at break (s_b) and (8) strain at break (e_b). The main objective of this work was to classify the data set and to predict mechanical properties (tensile strength (s_b) and strain at break (e_b) of starch-based films using a Rival Penalized Competitive Algorithm to find the clusters and, for each class, an artificial neural network (ANN) model from 6 parameters (starch origin, starch concentration (%), amylose content (%), glycerol content, ambient relative humidity (RH) and the aging of films). Each ANN was optimized using a genetic algorithm. The root-mean square error (RMSE) and the coefficient of determination B allowed to choose the best ANN. The results showed that it was possible to distinguish five classes where the composition of each class C_i could be described accurately and connected with the mechanical behavior of the films. This work also showed that it was useful firstly to classify the database before attempting to predict the mechanical properties of the starch-based films.     

Use of beef,pork and fish gelatin sources in the manufacture of films and assessment of their composition and mechanical properties

This study investigated the properties of different types of gelatin films from solutions of varying gelatin concentrations (4–8 wt %). Gelatin derived from beef, pork and fish skin sources was used to manufacture films using a casting approach. Mechanical properties of gelatin films, water vapour permeability (WVP), oxygen permeability, oil permeability and aqueous solubility of films were evaluated. FTIR spectroscopy was utilized to assess the composition of various gelatin sources so as to determine differences in composition of these sources and ultimately, in overall functionality. High concentration gelatin films had good mechanical properties with tensile and puncture strengths being particularly improved. Gelatin films manufactured from fish skin had the lowest WVP values for each concentration used. All gelatin films possessed excellent barriers to oxygen and oil. Films derived from pork gelatin exhibited lowest water solubility compared to those formed using beef and fish gelatin sources, regardless of the concentrations used. FTIR spectra showed that plasticizer and gelatin were well mixed and interacted well together. The use of higher concentrations of gelatin had the effect of increasing the wavenumber of amide-A in films due to greater interaction occurring between gelatin functional groups.     

Amaranth protein films from thermally treated proteins

The usefulness of amaranth protein isolates, native and thermally treated, in edible films preparation was studied. Protein films were prepared by casting using glycerol as plasticizer. Films from amaranth native protein isolates showed low water vapor permeability (WVP) but poor mechanical properties. In order to improve this functionality, proteins were treated at 70 and 90 °C which corresponds to the denaturation temperature of the protein fractions present in the isolates. The unfolded conformation of these thermally treated proteins, when partially or totally denatured, favors the interactions between polypeptide chains during the film formation. These interactions lead to a greater cross-linking degree, which was reflected in the lower amount of water-soluble free peptides that were linked to the matrix. In these thermally treated protein films, a greatest contribution of disulfide and hydrogen bonds to the films stabilization was observed. These changes in the films structural properties would confer them a greater tensile strength and lower water solubility but higher thickness and WVP.     

Preparation and characterization of bio-nanocomposite films based on soy protein isolate and montmorillonite using melt extrusion

The non-biodegradable and non-renewable nature of plastic packaging has led to a renewed interest in packaging materials based on bio-nanocomposites (biopolymer matrix reinforced with nanoparticles such as layered silicates). Bio-nanocomposite films based on soy protein isolate (SPI) and montmorillonite (MMT) were prepared using melt extrusion. Effects of the pH of film forming solution, MMT content, and extrusion processing parameters (screw speed and barrel temperature distribution) on the structure and properties of SPI–MMT bio-nanocomposite films were investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used for structural characterization of the films. Properties of the films were determined by tensile testing, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and water vapor barrier measurement. The arrangement of MMT in the soy protein matrix ranged from exfoliated at lower MMT content (5%) to intercalated at higher MMT content (15%). There was a significant improvement in mechanical (tensile strength and percent elongation at break) and dynamic mechanical properties (glass transition temperature and storage modulus), thermal stability, and water vapor permeability of the films with the addition of MMT. The results presented in this study show the feasibility of using bio-nanocomposite technology to improve the properties of biopolymer films based on SPI.     

Physicochemical Properties of Zein-Based Films by Electrophoretic Deposition Using Indium Tin Oxide Electrodes: Vertical and Horizontal Electric Fields

In this study, biodegradable and biocompatible zein films were prepared by electrophoretic deposition using indium tin oxide electrodes with two different modes: vertical and horizontal electric fields. The effects of the different mode of the electric field in the presence of ethanol on mechanical, hydrophobicity, water resistance properties, microstructures, and thermal stability of zein films were investigated. The results indicated that the physiochemical properties (tensile strength, hydrophobicity, water vapor permeability, water absorption, and thermal stability) of zein films prepared from the vertical electric field were superior to those of zein film produced from the horizontal electric field and the control. The results of scanning electron microscope demonstrated the presence of the compact and homogenous structures of zein films manufactured in electric fields. In summary, the knowledge achieved from this study could facilitate to prepare the zein-based films using a readily and scale-up method.     

Physical and mechanical properties of peanut protein films

The properties of peanut protein films were modified using physical and chemical treatments, and their effects on color, mechanical strength, water solubility and barrier to water vapor and oxygen of the films were investigated. Physical treatments consisted of heat denaturation of film-forming solution for 30 min at 60°C, 70°C, 80°C and 90°C, ultraviolet irradiation of films for up to 24 h, and three ultrasound processes of film-forming solution. Chemical treatments consisted of addition of aldehydes and anhydrides. Heat curing at 70°C, ultraviolet irradiation for 24 h, ultrasound for 10 min in a water-bath, and formaldehyde and glutaraldehyde addition caused a significant increase in the tensile strength of the films. The water vapor permeability (WVP) and oxygen permeability (OP) of the films decreased after heat denaturation and aldehyde treatment. OP also decreased with UV treatment. Heat curing was the most effective treatment, making the films stronger, more resistant to water and less permeable to water vapor and oxygen.     

Structural and functional properties of soy protein isolate and cod gelatin blend films

The structure-function relationship of composite films obtained from soybean-protein isolate (SPI) and cod gelatin was studied. Films with different ratios of SPI:gelatin (0, 25, 50, 75, 100% [w/w]) and plasticized by a mixture of glycerol and sorbitol were prepared by casting. Regardless of the soybean-protein concentration, the thickness and water-vapor permeability of the composite films diminished significantly as compared to pure-gelatin films. The formulation containing 25% SPI: 75% cod-skin gelatin had the maximum force at the breaking point, which was 1.8-fold and 2.8-fold greater than those of 100% gelatin and 100% SPI films, respectively. Moreover, this formulation offered high percent-deformation values lower than those of gelatin but higher than all other films containing SPI-, and the same relatively low water-vapor permeability as the 100% SPI film. While all the films exhibited high water solubility, a slight reduction in film solubility and soluble protein was observed with increasing SPI concentration. Differential-scanning calorimetry analyses revealed that gelatin was completely denatured in all films, while soy proteins largely maintained their native conformation. Analysis by fourier-transform–infrared spectroscopy revealed that the presence of 25% SPI produced gelatin conformational changes, self-aggregation of gelatin chains, and intermolecular associations via CO bonds between gelatin and SPI proteins. All films were translucent in appearance, but the yellowish color increased with increasing proportions of the soybean proteins.     

Alginate-calcium films: Water vapor permeability and mechanical properties as affected by plasticizer and relative humidity

Alginate films containing dissimilar amounts of guluronate (G) and mannuronate (M): M/G∼0.45 and M/G∼1.5, soaked in a calcium chloride solution up to 20 min were evaluated for water vapor permeability (WVP). M/G∼0.45 films proved to be better moisture barriers at all calcium immersion times compared to M/G∼1.5. WVP of M/G∼0.45 and M/G∼1.5 films decreased as time of immersion in calcium increased; after 3 min, a decrease in WVP was observed. M/G∼0.45 films soaked for 1 min in calcium were further analyzed to determine the effect of plasticizer and relative humidity (RH) on their mechanical properties and WVP, using fructose, glycerol, sorbitol, and polyethylene glycol (PEG-8000). Films without plasticizer showed a lower capacity to adsorb water compared to those with plasticizer. As RH increased, tensile strength (TS) decreased and elongation (E) increased for all films. This effect was more pronounced on films containing plasticizer, which had lower TS at all RHs. Plasticizer did not increase E at 58% RH. At 78% and 98% RH, glycerol, sorbitol and fructose showed a significant increase in E compared to PEG-8000 and no-plasticizer. PEG-8000 provided lower TS and E, while glycerol showed the highest among all plasticizers. There was no difference on WVP between no-plasticizer and glycerol. Fructose and sorbitol showed the lowest WVP while PEG-8000 showed the highest.     

Oxidation promotes cross-linking but impairs film-forming properties of whey proteins

The objective of the study was to investigate the impact of oxidation on the film-forming properties of whey protein isolate (WPI). Sequential heating (70–90 °C) then oxidation (0.1 mM FeCl₃/1 mM ascorbate/0–20 mM H₂O₂) (H → O) or vice versa (O → H) were conducted to oxidize/unfold WPI at pH 6.8 and 8.0 before casting. The resulting films were characterized through mechanical, microstructural, and protein electrophoretic analyses. Oxidation promoted protein cross-linking mainly through disulfide bonds. Tensile strength (TS) and elongation at break (EAB) of films decreased for WPI oxidized by higher concentrations of H₂O₂. Film solubility (protein leachability) at pH 3–7, ranging from 20 to 40%, was unaffected by H₂O₂ up to 5 mM but reached almost 100% at above 5 mM H₂O₂ except at pH 4–5. β-Lactoglobulin dimers and its complex with α-lactalbumin were abundant in O → H WPI films and polymers of WPI dominated in H → O films. Microstructural images confirmed that oxidation promoted crumbly structures thereby explaining the reduced film-forming capability.