a b s t r a c tThis manuscript describes the detailed characterization of edible films made from two different protein products e whey protein isolate (WPI) and whey protein concentrate (WPC), added with three levels of glycerol (Gly) e i.e. 40, 50 and 60%(w/w). The molecular structure, as well as barrier, tensile, thermal, surface and optical properties of said films were determined, in attempts to provide a better understanding of the effects of proteinaceous purity and Gly content of the feedstock. WPI films exhibited statistically lower (p < 0.05) moisture content (MC), film solubility (S), water activity, water vapor permeability (WVP), oxygen and carbon dioxide permeabilities (O 2 P and CO 2 P, respectively) and color change values, as well as statistically higher (p < 0.05) density, surface hydrophobicity, mechanical resistance, elasticity, extensibility and transparency values than their WPC counterparts, for the same content of Gly. These results are consistent with data from thermal and FTIR analyses. Furthermore, a significant increase (p < 0.05) was observed in MC, S, WVP, O 2 P, CO 2 P, weight loss and extensibility of both protein films when the Gly content increased; whereas a significant decrease (p < 0.05) was observed in thermal features, as well as in mechanical resistance and elasticity e thus leading to weaker films. Therefore, fundamental elucidation was provided on the features of WPI and WPC germane to food packaging e along with suggestions to improve the most critical ones, i.e. extensibility and WVP.

Chitosan has been exploited as a material for the development of edible films, and additionally can be used as a carrier of functional compounds such as a-tocopherol. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of the incorporation of a-tocopherol in chitosan-based films. FTIR and thermal analyses were performed and showed that the incorporation of a-tocopherol affects the chemical structure of chitosan-based films with the establishment of new chemical bonds and the decrease of crystallinity. Results also showed that the increase of a-tocopherol concentration promotes a decrease of water content (from 12.6 to 11.4%) of the films. The addition of a-tocopherol to chitosan films leads to a significant reduction (p < 0.05) of tensile strength from 34.06 to 16.24 MPa, and elongation-at-break from 53.84 to 23.12%. Film opacity values (ranging from 4.74 to 7.83%) increased when a-tocopherol was incorporated into the film. Antioxidant capacity of chitosan-based films was evaluated and was enhanced when a-tocopherol was present in the film matrix. Results showed that a-tocopherol can be successfully added to the chitosan films enhancing the final quality and shelf-life extension of food products.

The application of nanotechnology to food, medical and pharmaceutical industries has received great attention from the scientific community. Driven by the increasing consumers' demand for healthier and safer food products and the need for edible systems able to encapsulate, protect, and release functional compounds, researchers are currently focusing their efforts in nanotechnology to address issues relevant to food and nutrition. Nanoemulsion technology is particularly suited for the fabrication of encapsulating systems for functional compounds as it prevents their degradation and improves their bioavailability. This review focuses on nanoemulsions and provides an overview of the production methods, materials used (solvents, emulsifiers, and functional ingredients) and of the current analytical techniques that can be used for the identification and characterization of nanoemulsions. Finally, nanotechnological applications in foods currently marketed are reported.

Blends of chitosan (from Cuban lobster) and clay micro/nanoparticles were prepared by dispersion of the clay particles in the film matrix and the films obtained were characterized in terms of water solubility, water vapor, oxygen and carbon dioxide permeability, optical, mechanical and thermal properties using an Instron universal testing machine, differential scanning calorimetry, thermogravimetric analyses and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The water vapor barrier properties of the films were significantly improved by incorporation of clay in their composition, while the water solubility decreased as the clay concentration increased (for a constant chitosan concentration). The tensile strength of chitosan/clay films increased significantly with increasing chitosan and clay concentrations, while the values of elongation decreased slightly for high values of chitosan concentration. T m increased with the increase of chitosan concentration, but the changes in T m with the addition of clay were not significant. Polynomial models were fitted to the experimental data in order to facilitate future design of chitosan/ clay film systems.

The aim of this work was to evaluate the influence of glycerol and corn oil on physicochemical properties of polysaccharide-based films. The polysaccharides used were galactomannan from Gleditsia triacanthos and chitosan. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis were performed, together with determinations of moisture content, solubility, water vapor permeability and mechanical properties. Structureeproperties relationships were established, relating the two polysaccharides' structures with the way they interact with water, other film's constituents (glycerol and oil) and the resulting properties. The presence of glycerol and corn oil originated a more hydrophilic structure and a decreased affinity of the film matrix to water, respectively, in both polysaccharides. However, the two polysaccharides presented different behaviors in terms of glass transition temperature, water vapor permeability and elongation-at-break that have been related with the particularities of their structure: while for the galactomannan the specific sorption sites for water are the OeH groups, for chitosan those are OeH and/or NH 2 groups. The present work provides insight regarding the physicochemical properties of polysaccharide-based films and established relationships with polymers' structure, showing that the two polysaccharides studied here have adequate properties to be used as packaging materials for specific food applications.

Hydrocolloids from seaweeds have interesting functional properties, such as antioxidant activity and gelling ability. A polysaccharide was isolated by aqueous extraction at 90 C from the red seaweed Gracilaria birdiae (Gb), with a yield of 27.2% of the seaweed dry weight. The sulfate content of the polysaccharide was 8.4% and the main sugars present were galactose (65.4 mol%), 3,6-anhydrogalactose (25.1 mol%) and 6-O-methylgalactose (9.2 mol%). Gel permeation chromatography showed that Gb polysaccharide is a heterogeneous system, with molar mass at the main peak of 3.7 Â 10 5 g mol À1 and a shoulder of 2.6 Â 10 6 g mol À1. The sulfated polysaccharide of Gb characterized by FTIR exhibits the characteristic bands of agarocolloids (at 1375 and 770 cm À1). The rheological behavior of Gb sulfated polysaccharide exhibits a gel-like behavior close to the one observed in commercial agar. The antioxidant properties of Gb sulfated polysaccharide were evaluated by measuring DPPH freeradical scavenging effect, showing that this polysaccharide has a moderate effect in inhibiting the formation of those radicals.

The development of mixed systems, formed by locust bean gum (LBG), and k-carrageenan (k-car) can offer new interesting applications such as the development of edible films with particular properties. kcar/LBG blend films with different ratios were developed, and their effects on films' physical properties were assessed. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy techniques were used to highlight the interactions between the two polysaccharides. The addition of k-car to LBG improved the barrier properties of the films leading to a decrease of water vapor permeability (WVP). Improved values of elongation-at-break (EB) were registered when the ratio of k-car/LBG was 80/20 or 40/60 (% w/w). Moreover, the k-car/LBG blend films enhance the tensile strength (TS) compared to k-car and LBG films. FTIR results suggested that hydrogen bonds interactions between k-car and LBG have a great influence in films' properties e.g. moisture content, WVP. Therefore, different k-car/LBG ratios can be used to tailor edible films with enhanced barrier and mechanical properties.

The use of alginates as films in food applications has increased in the recent years due to their swelling capacity and overall functionality. This behaviour is a result of their capacity to crosslink with Ca 2þ ion. Aiming to fully understand the effect of calcium chloride (CaCl 2) crosslinking and the mannuronic (M) and guluronic (G) acid ratio (M/G) of alginate structure in the films' properties, alginate-based films with different (M/G) ratios were crosslinked at increasing CaCl 2 concentrations. Films were produced by casting, and characterized in terms of mechanical properties (tensile strength and elongation-at-break), opacity, water sensitivity (moisture content, solubility and water vapour permeability) and morphology, evaluated by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). Chemical interactions were studied by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) to assess possible chemical modifications of alginate-based films after crosslinking. Crosslinking significantly affected the alginate structure and properties, decreasing film thickness, moisture content, solubility and water vapour permeability of the alginate-based films. The mechanical properties were also influenced by the crosslinking and high CaCl 2 concentrations lead to an increase of tensile strength. Results showed a relation between M/G ratios and CaCl 2 concentrations and the resulting film's properties. Alginate and the respective crosslinker should be chosen taking into account M/G ratio, since high contents of M residues lead to fragile and flexible films and high content of G residues to stronger films, and these properties are highly dependent on the concentration of CaCl 2. Overall, alginate-based films are a good candidate to obtain tailored made edible films for food applications. Further investigation should be done to fully understand the effect of the alginate chain composition and order (e.g. MM, GG, GM, MG) in alginate-based films properties.