Rheological characterization of edible films made from collagen colloidal particle suspensions

A rheological characterization of collagen edible films is proposed through the experimental evaluation of shear elastic modulus, toughness, hydration capability and stress and stretch ratio at fracture. These properties are obtained from hydration, simple extension and compression tests and analyzed through the BST (Blatz, Sharda, & Tschoegl, 1974) hyperelastic model. Also precursor collagen particle suspensions, with solid concentrations in the range 0.5–4% w/w, are studied to evaluate their thixotropic responses in sudden imposed shear rates and shear loops. These responses are a consequence of particle aggregations leading to cluster formations. The particle size distribution function of suspensions is determined via scanning electron microscopy. Films are formed by casting and then fixed through either a coagulation process with a salt solution or a chemical process involving covalent cross-links with glutaraldehyde. Results indicate that these collagen films behave as colloidal particulate networks composed of particles and clusters. Also it is found that the fractal dimension of clusters is an intrinsic property of collagen particle suspensions, independently from the maturation time. Clusters in these suspensions are formed with a rather open architecture (low fractal value) due to rather large particle attractive forces. The evaluation of the BST rheological parameters allows one the estimation of the energy amount required to get film fracture for different collagen and cross-linker concentrations. Since the final films have to satisfy several quality requirements before using, the interplay between their stiffness and toughness is presented and discussed.