Novel Waxy Starch Cryostructured Coatings Applied on Commercial Crackers

Abstract

The food industry is constantly striving to find new ways to preserve the characteristics of its products during storage, so it is important to create new ways to achieve this. A viable alternative is the use of coatings that are compatible with the surface of food and safe for consumption, which restricts the exchange of water vapor between the material and the environment. Coatings from waxy starch cryogels are an alternative little studied and with great potential for use in crackers. The coating prevents the cookies from absorbing approximately 50% less water from the environment when stored under controlled conditions, directly reflecting on their mechanical properties. Likewise, it is verified through the micrographs obtained by Scanning Electron Microscopy that the surface of the crackers is modified with the addition of cryogel. Regarding the analysis by Fourier Transform Infrared‐Attenuated Total Reflection spectroscopy and thermal by Modulated Differential Scanning Calorimetry, it is observed that the coating modified interactions at the molecular level in terms of the vibrations of the main functional groups and their thermal behavior in terms of heat flow, heat capacity, and evaporation enthalpies. It is found that the coating works as an excellent barrier to water vapor after 21 days of storage.