Chitosan-Gelatin-Pectin Composite Films from Polyion-Complex Hydrogels

Effect of Curcumin Addition on the Properties of Biodegradable Pectin/Chitosan Films

“…Pectin is a typical linear heteropolysaccharide consisting of a large number of negatively charged carboxylic acid groups [ 17 ], therefore, it shows good solubility in water and has the possibility of interacting with cations. Previous studies showed that pectin can form a three-dimensional network structure by adding calcium ions, which can fill in the gaps of the twisted pectin chain and improve the strength of the film [ 18 ]. It has been reported that chitosan (a cationic polysaccharide) with good film-forming property, has the possibility of cross-linking with pectin (anionic hydrophilic polysaccharide) by electrostatic attraction [ 18 ].…”

“…Previous studies showed that pectin can form a three-dimensional network structure by adding calcium ions, which can fill in the gaps of the twisted pectin chain and improve the strength of the film [ 18 ]. It has been reported that chitosan (a cationic polysaccharide) with good film-forming property, has the possibility of cross-linking with pectin (anionic hydrophilic polysaccharide) by electrostatic attraction [ 18 ]. Therefore, in this study, pectin and chitosan were used to prepare a polysaccharide film [ 19 ].…”

“…Therefore, in this study, pectin and chitosan were used to prepare a polysaccharide film [ 19 ]. However, the resulting film has generally weaker bacteriostatic and barrier properties which limit its application based on some previous studies [ 18 ]. A common approach to improve film properties is to add other bioactive polymers [ 20 ].…”

“…Curcumin is mainly used in the coloring of sausage products, canned products, stewed product sauces and other products in the food industry [ 21 , 25 ]. Curcumin has two hydroxyl groups at both ends, which can bind to amino and/or carboxyl groups by hydrogen bonds [ 18 ]. Curcumin has been blended with polymers such as cellulose, cellulose acetate, collagen and gelatin when preparing functional films [ 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 ], but not many efforts have been reported on the use of curcumin when preparing pectin/chitosan films.…”

Introduction

“…Polysaccharidegel-based colon cancer therapy was studied recently using 5-fluorouracil in CHT micro- [107] and nanospheres [102] or paclitaxel in chitin nanoparticles [132]. Protein delivery from polysaccharide gels was also studied: BSA, used as a model, was investigated by Zeng et al [162], Cwp84-loaded pectin beads were tested for oral vaccination against Clostridium difficile [118], while a review reporting some examples of the use of polysaccharide gels for insulin oral admistration was recently published by Maroni et al [82]. Numerous studies on delivery of probiotic bacteria by means of their entrapment in polysaccharide gels were also carried out [20].…”