Whereas native whey protein films were totally water soluble, heat denatured films were insoluble. Heat-denatured whey protein films had higher tensile properties than native whey protein films. However, native and heat-denatured films had similar water vapor permeability (WVP). The pH of the filmforming solution did not have any notable effect on film solubility, mechanical properties, or WVP. Results suggest that covalent cross-linking due to heat denaturation of the whey protein is accountable for film water insolubility and higher tensile properties but does not affect WVP of the films.

Whey protein film solubility decreased as film-forming solution heating time and temperature increased. No differences were observed in solubility between films soaked in water at 25 Њ Њ Њ Њ ЊC for 24 h and 100 Њ Њ Њ Њ ЊC for 4 min. However, the degree of swelling was significantly larger for films soaked at 100 Њ Њ Њ Њ ЊC. Films became stiffer, stronger and more stretchable as film-forming solution time and temperature were increased. Oxygen permeability (OP) was lower for films made from heat-denatured whey protein than for films made from native whey protein.Results suggest that an increase in covalent cross-linking, as heat denaturation of the whey protein increases, is accountable for film water insolubility, higher tensile properties and lower OP.

Lipid particle size effects on water vapor permeability (WVP) and mechanical properties of whey protein isolate (WPI)/beeswax (BW) emulsion films were investigated. Emulsion films containing 20 and 60% BW (dry basis) and mean lipid particle sizes ranging from 0.5 to 2.0 microm were prepared. BW particle size effects on WVP and mechanical properties were observed only in films containing 60% BW. WVP of these films decreased as lipid particle size decreased. As drying temperature increased, film WVPs decreased significantly. Meanwhile, tensile strength and elongation increased as BW particle size decreased. However, for 20% BW emulsion films, properties were not affected by lipid particle size. Results suggest that increased protein-lipid interactions at the BW particle interfaces, as particle size decreased and resulting interfacial area increased, result in stronger films with lower WVPs. Observing this effect depends on a large lipid content within the protein matrix. At low lipid content, the effect of interactions at the protein-lipid interfaces is not observed, due to the presence of large protein-matrix regions of the film without lipid, which are not influenced by protein-lipid interactions.

The use of edible films and coatings is an environmentally friendly technology that offers substantial advantages for shelf-life increase of many food products including fruits and vegetables. The development of new natural edible films and coatings with the addition of antimicrobial compounds to preserve fresh and minimally processed fruits and vegetables is a technological challenge for the industry and a very active research field worldwide. Antimicrobial agents have been successfully added to edible composite films and coatings based on polysaccharides or proteins such as starch, cellulose derivatives, chitosan, alginate, fruit puree, whey protein isolated, soy protein, egg albumen, wheat gluten, or sodium caseinate. This paper reviews the development of edible films and coatings with antimicrobial activity, typically through the incorporation of antimicrobial food additives as ingredients, the effect of these edible films on the control of target microorganisms, the influence of antimicrobial agents on mechanical and barrier properties of stand-alone edible films, and the effect of the application of antimicrobial edible coatings on the quality of fresh and fresh-cut fruits and vegetables.