Moisture transfers inside food products could be controlled or limited by the use of edible films. These are usually based on hydrophobic substances such as lipids to improve barrier efficiency. Water permeability of films is affected by many factors, depending on both the nature of barrier components, the film structure (homogeneous, emulsion, multilayer, etc.), crystal type, shape, size and distribution of lipids, and thermodynamics such as temperature, vapor pressure, or the physical state of water in contact to the films. After a brief presentation of lipids and hydrophobic substances used as moisture barrier, cited in the scientific literature, this article reviews all of the parameters affecting barrier performances of edible films and coatings.

Water transfer through different films, as a function of the physical state of water in contact with the film, the relative humidity difference, and the water vapor pressure difference, was investigated. The films were two synthetic packagings (hydrophobic polyethylene and hydrophilic cellophane) and an edible film. The physical state of water affects water sensitive films, such as cellophane, inducing a higher liquid water transfer due to interactions with the polymer. For hydrophobic polymers, such as polyethylene, neither the physical state of water nor the relative humidity has an influence on the water permeability. In complex system, such as an edible film composed of hydrophilic particles dispersed in a lipid phase, barrier efficiency is influenced by the continuous hydrophobic phase but could also be affected by the physical state of water due to the presence of hydrophilic compounds.

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