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Moisture transfers inside food products could be controlled or limited by the use of edible films. These are usually based on hydrophobic substances such as lipids to improve barrier efficiency. Water permeability of films is affected by many factors, depending on both the nature of barrier components, the film structure (homogeneous, emulsion, multilayer, etc.), crystal type, shape, size and distribution of lipids, and thermodynamics such as temperature, vapor pressure, or the physical state of water in contact to the films. After a brief presentation of lipids and hydrophobic substances used as moisture barrier, cited in the scientific literature, this article reviews all of the parameters affecting barrier performances of edible films and coatings.

Many aroma compounds, used to flavor food products, are used in a solid state, after encapsulation. Carbohydrates are the most common matrices used to entrap these volatiles. It has been observed that depending on the aroma compound and the carrier, efficiency can vary. This article reviews the influence of physicochemical properties of both the volatiles and the carriers on retention. The latter depends on the functional groups of the aroma compound. Moreover, it increases with molecular weight and decreases with the polarity and relative volatility of the aroma compound. This behavior can be explained by the effect of these properties on the diffusion of the aroma compound through the matrix and on the ability of the volatile to form small drops. The physicochemical properties of the carrier are important too. Retention of the aroma compound increases with the molecular weight of the carrier until an optimum is reached and then decreases for very high polymerization degrees. Viscosity, solubility, and film forming properties improve the retention ability. The effect of these parameters is discussed according to their effect on the diffusion of the volatiles. The state of the carrier has to be taken into account too. The amorphous state provides the highest retention, collapse results in losses of aroma, and crystallization leads to the greatest losses of flavors.

Arabinoxylans (AX) are natural fibers extracted from maize bran, an industrial byproduct. To promote this polymer as a food ingredient, development of edible coatings and films had been proposed. Indeed, composite arabinoxylan-based films were prepared by emulsifying a fat: palmitic acid, oleic acid, triolein, or a hydrogenated palm oil (OK35). Lipid effects on water vapor permeability (WVP), surface hydrophobicity (contact angles), lipid particle size, and mechanical properties were investigated. Results showed that OK35-AX emulsion films had the lowest WVP. Emulsified films presented a bimodal particle size distribution; however, the smallest particle mean diameter (0.54 microm) was observed in OK35-AX emulsion films. Contact angles of water comparable to those observed for LDPE films (>90 degrees ) are measured on the OK35-AX film surface. Finally, only triolein-AX emulsion films had elongation higher than films without lipid. These results suggest that OK35 enhances functional properties of AX-based films and should be retained for further research.

Wine chemical compositions, which result from a complex interplay between environmental factors, genetic factors, and viticultural practices, have mostly been studied using targeted analyses of selected families of metabolites. Detailed studies have particularly concerned volatile and polyphenolic compounds because of their acknowledged roles in the organoleptic and therapeutic properties. However, we show that an unprecedented chemical diversity of wine composition can be unraveled through a nontargeted approach by ultrahigh-resolution mass spectrometry, which provides an instantaneous image of complex interacting processes, not easily or possibly resolvable into their unambiguous individual contributions. In particular, the statistical analysis of a series of barrel-aged wines revealed that 10-year-old wines still express a metabologeographic signature of the forest location where oaks of the barrel in which they were aged have grown.diagenesis ͉ Fourier transform ͉ ion cyclotron resonance ͉ metabolite ͉ mass spectrometry

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Edible films made of agar (AG), cassava starch (CAS), normal rice starch (NRS), and waxy (glutinous) rice starch (WRS) were elaborated and tested for a potential use as edible packaging or coating. Their water vapor permeabilities (WVP) were comparable with those of most of the polysaccharide-based films and with some protein-based films. Depending on the environmental moisture pressure, the WVP of the films varies and remains constant when the relative humidity (RH) is >84%. Equilibrium sorption isotherms of these films have been measured; the Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer (GAB) model was used to describe the sorption isotherm and contributed to a better knowledge of hydration properties. Surface hydrophobicity and wettability of these films were also investigated using the sessile drop contact angle method. The results obtained suggested the migration of the lipid fraction toward evaporation surface during film drying. Among these polysaccharide-based films, AG-based film and CAS-based film displayed more interesting mechanical properties: they are transparent, clear, homogeneous, flexible, and easily handled. NRS- and WRS-based films were relatively brittle and have a low tension resistance. Microstructure of film cross section was observed by environmental scanning electron microscopy to better understand the effect of the structure on the functional properties. The results suggest that AG-based film and CAS-based films, which show better functional properties, are promising systems to be used as food packaging or coating instead of NRS- and WRS-based films.