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Edible Films and Coatings from Fruits or Vegetables

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Food Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (16 February 2024) | Viewed by 7204

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Food Engineering and Process Management, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Warsaw, Poland
Interests: food packaging; edible films and coatings; active packaging; intelligent packaging; smart packaging
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Edible films and coatings are characterized as thin layers of edible materials that can be applied to food products and play various important roles, such as in protecting the product from mechanical damage or physical, chemical, and microbiological activities. The main difference between these two forms is that an edible coating is a thin layer formed as a coating on a food product, while an edible film is a thin, preformed layer that, once formed, can be placed on or between food components or even sealed into edible pouches. They find applications, especially for highly perishable products, such as horticultural products, or can serve as standalone edible packaging materials. Their functions are based on a range of properties such as availability, mechanical resistance, optical properties, and the barrier effect against gases or water vapor as well as cost and sensory acceptability. Although edible films and coatings are not expected to completely replace conventional packaging materials, they can be used to extend food stability by reducing the exchange of moisture, gasses, lipid, and volatiles between a food and its surrounding environment. Typically, they can be produced from biopolymers (proteins, polysaccharides, and/or lipids); however, novel materials are still being evaluated, especially byproducts and residues, and should conform to achieving sustainability in food production. Edible films and coatings based on fruits and vegetables may be produced from a single macromolecule type, blends, or even composites (single or multilayers). They can be prepared from purees, pomaces, or extracts and show different functions, facilitating their application as protective coatings, thin films, active bags, wraps, leathers, or papers.

Dr. Sabina Galus
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • edible films
  • edible coatings
  • fruits and vegetables
  • food packaging
  • food quality

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 6721 KiB  
Article
Physical and Chemical Properties of Vegetable Films Based on Pumpkin Purée and Biopolymers of Plant and Animal Origin
by Monika Janowicz, Justyna Kadzińska, Joanna Bryś, Agnieszka Ciurzyńska, Magdalena Karwacka and Sabina Galus
Molecules 2023, 28(12), 4626; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28124626 - 7 Jun 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1970
Abstract
Highly methylated apple pectin (HMAP) and pork gelatin (PGEL) have been proposed as gelling agents for pumpkin purée-based films. Therefore, this research aimed to develop and evaluate the physiochemical properties of composite vegetable films. Granulometric analysis of film-forming solutions showed a bimodal particle [...] Read more.
Highly methylated apple pectin (HMAP) and pork gelatin (PGEL) have been proposed as gelling agents for pumpkin purée-based films. Therefore, this research aimed to develop and evaluate the physiochemical properties of composite vegetable films. Granulometric analysis of film-forming solutions showed a bimodal particle size distribution, with two peaks near 25 µm and close to 100 µm in the volume distribution. The diameter D4.3, which is very sensitive to the presence of large particles, was only about 80 µm. Taking into account the possibility of creating a polymer matrix from pumpkin purée, its chemical characteristic was determined. The content of water-soluble pectin was about 0.2 g/100 g fresh mass, starch at the level of 5.5 g/100 g fresh mass, and protein at the level of about 1.4 g/100 g fresh mass. Glucose, fructose, and sucrose, the content of which ranged from about 1 to 1.4 g/100 g fresh mass, were responsible for the plasticizing effect of the purée. All of the tested composite films, based on selected hydrocolloids with the addition of pumpkin purée, were characterized by good mechanical strength, and the obtained parameters ranged from about 7 to over 10 MPa. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis determined that the gelatin melting point ranged from over 57 to about 67 °C, depending on the hydrocolloid concentration. The modulated differential scanning calorimetry (MDSC) analysis results exhibited remarkably low glass transition temperature (Tg) values, ranging from −34.6 to −46.5 °C. These materials are not in a glassy state at room temperature (~25 °C). It was shown that the character of the pure components affected the phenomenon of water diffusion in the tested films, depending on the humidity of the surrounding environment. Gelatin-based films were more sensitive to water vapor than pectin ones, resulting in higher water uptake over time. The nature of the changes in water content as a function of its activity indicates that composite gelatin films, with the addition of pumpkin purée, are characterized by a greater ability to adsorb moisture from the surrounding environment compared to pectin films. In addition, it was observed that the nature of the changes in water vapor adsorption in the case of protein films is different in the first hours of adsorption than in the case of pectin films, and changes significantly after 10 h of the film staying in an environment with relative humidity RH = 75.3%. The obtained results showed that pumpkin purée is a valuable plant material, which can form continuous films with the addition of gelling agents; however, practical application as edible sheets or wraps for food products needs to be preceded with additional research on its stability and interactions between films and food ingredients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Edible Films and Coatings from Fruits or Vegetables)
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16 pages, 1706 KiB  
Article
Development and Evaluation of the Properties of Active Films for High-Fat Fruit and Vegetable Packaging
by Cristina Muñoz-Shugulí, Francisco Rodríguez-Mercado, Nasreddine Benbettaieb, Abel Guarda, María José Galotto and Frederic Debeaufort
Molecules 2023, 28(7), 3045; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules28073045 - 29 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2081
Abstract
β-cyclodextrin and allyl isothiocyanate inclusion complexes (β-CD:AITC) have been proposed for developing fresh fruit and vegetable packaging materials. Therefore, the aim of this research was to develop active materials based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA) loaded with β-CD:AITC and to assess changes in the [...] Read more.
β-cyclodextrin and allyl isothiocyanate inclusion complexes (β-CD:AITC) have been proposed for developing fresh fruit and vegetable packaging materials. Therefore, the aim of this research was to develop active materials based on poly(lactic acid) (PLA) loaded with β-CD:AITC and to assess changes in the material properties during the release of AITC to food simulants. PLA films with 0, 5 and 10 wt.% β-CD:AITC were developed by extrusion. Surface properties were determined from contact angle measurements. Films were immersed in water, aqueous and fatty simulants to assess the absorption capacity and the change in the thermal properties. Moreover, the release of AITC in both simulants was evaluated by UV-spectroscopy and kinetic parameters were determined by data modeling. Results showed that a higher concentration of β-CD:AITC increased the absorption of aqueous simulant of films, favoring the plasticization of PLA. However, the incorporation of β-CD:AITC also avoided the swelling of PLA in fatty simulant. These effects and complex relationships between the polymer, inclusion complexes and food simulant explained the non-systematic behavior in the diffusion coefficient. However, the lower partition coefficient and higher percentage of released AITC to the fatty simulant suggested the potential of these materials for high-fat fruit and vegetable active packaging applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Edible Films and Coatings from Fruits or Vegetables)
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20 pages, 4496 KiB  
Article
In Situ Polymerization of Linseed Oil-Based Composite Film: Enhancement of Mechanical and Water Barrier Properties by the Incorporation of Cinnamaldehyde and Organoclay
by Rim Guesmi, Nasreddine Benbettaieb, Mohamed Ramzi Ben Romdhane, Thouraya Barhoumi-Slimi and Ali Assifaoui
Molecules 2022, 27(22), 8089; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules27228089 - 21 Nov 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2457
Abstract
Linseed oil-based composite films were prepared with cinnamaldehyde (Cin) using a modified clay (organoclay) through in situ polymerization, which is the result of the interaction between Cin and organoclay. The incorporation of organoclay reduces the polymer chain’s mobility and, therefore, increases the thermal [...] Read more.
Linseed oil-based composite films were prepared with cinnamaldehyde (Cin) using a modified clay (organoclay) through in situ polymerization, which is the result of the interaction between Cin and organoclay. The incorporation of organoclay reduces the polymer chain’s mobility and, therefore, increases the thermal stability of the composite films. In some experimental conditions, the clay is located both inside and on the surface of the film, thus, affecting the mechanical and thermal properties as well as the surface properties of the composite films. The incorporation of organoclay decreases the water contact angle of the composite film by more than 15%, whatever the amount of cinnamaldehyde. However, the incorporation of cinnamaldehyde has the opposite effect on film surface properties. Indeed, for the water vapor permeability (WVP), the effect of cinnamaldehyde on the film barrier properties is much higher in the presence of organoclay. The incorporation of hydrophobic compounds into the polymer films reduces the water content, which acts as a plasticizer and, therefore, decreases the WVP by more than 17%. Linseed oil has a natural antioxidant activity (~97%) due to the higher content of unsaturated fatty acids, and this activity increased with the amount of organoclay and cinnamaldehyde. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Edible Films and Coatings from Fruits or Vegetables)
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