Active and Robust Composite Films Based on Gelatin and Gallic Acid Integrated with Microfibrillated Cellulose

Abstract

Background: Gelatin is a renewable, biodegradable, and inexpensive food polymer. The insufficient mechanical and functional properties of gelatin-based films (GBF) restrict their commercial application in food packaging. This work proposed a facile strategy to prepare an active and robust GBF that has the potential to be used in food packaging. Methods: A strong and active GBF was prepared based on the principle of supramolecular chemistry via the incorporation of gallic acid (GA) as an active crosslinking agent and of microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) as a reinforcing agent. Results: Under the appropriate concentration (1.0 wt%), MFC was evenly dispersed in a gelatin matrix to endow the film with low surface roughness and compact structure. Compared with the GF, the tensile strength and elongation at break of the resultant film reached 6.09 MPa and 213.4%, respectively, representing the corresponding improvement of 12.8% and 27.6%. Besides, a significantly improved water vapor barrier (from 3.985 × 10−8 to 3.894 × 10−8 g·m−1·Pa−1·s−1) and antioxidant activity (from 54.6% to 86.4% for ABTS radical scavenging activity; from 6.0% to 89.1% for DPPH radical scavenging activity) of GBFs were also observed after introducing the aromatic structure of GA and nano-/microfibrils in MFC. Moreover, the UV blocking performance and thermal stability of GGF and GGCFs were also enhanced. Conclusions: this work paves a promising way toward facile preparation of multifunctional GBFs that have great potential to be used in fabricating active and safe food packaging materials for food preservation.

Development of functional active films from blend of gelatin with crude orange juice pomace pectin: Test for packaging of virgin olive oil

“…Similarly, Liu et al, 86 Ezati et al, 63 Aitboulahcen et al 87 and Song et al 61 reported equally higher TS and YM and lower EAB values for blend films based on both commercial gelatin and commercial pectin and explained their finding by the electrostatic interactions between both hydrocolloids. Further, the presence of phenolic compounds in SOPP might reinforce the crosslinking degree in the gelatin matrix, which led to restricting the movement and the stretchability of polymer chains 88 . Overall, these findings indicate that the addition of SOPP positively influences the mechanical properties of the blend films.…”

“…Further, the presence of phenolic compounds in SOPP might reinforce the crosslinking degree in the gelatin matrix, which led to restricting the movement and the stretchability of polymer chains. 88 Overall, these findings indicate that the addition of SOPP positively influences the mechanical properties of the blend films. G-SOPP films exhibit enhanced resistance and stiffness, as evidenced by increased TS and YM values, while showing reduced elasticity.…”

Use of cellulose microfibers from olive pomace to reinforce green composites for sustainable packaging applications

“…A decrease in light transmission was also observed for gelatin films incorporating CMFs obtained from MCC (Liu et al, 2021 ). Likewise, Luo et al ( 2021 ) also observed a slight decrease in the visible light transmittance of gelatin‐based films after the addition of commercial CMFs (0.5%–5%) because of the good dispersion and aggregation of microfibers in the different film formulations.…”

Preparation and performance testing of corn starch/pullulan/gallic acid multicomponent composite films for active food packaging

“…In contrast, the addition of GA to CS/PUL films resulted in a significant decrease in light transmittance (UV and visible light regions) compared to CS/PUL films alone ( P < 0.05), with a decrease in transmittance observed with increasing GA concentration. The aromatic ring in GA contributed to its anti-UV properties in the UV region (280–320 nm) ( Luo, Wu, Wang, & Yu, 2021 ).

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