Development and characterization of novel probiotic-residing pullulan/starch edible films

Preparation and Properties of Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose/Sodium Alginate/Chitosan Composite Film

“…Ebrahimi et al [32] clearly pointed out that WVP is one of the important indicators to avoid mass transfer between food and the surrounding environment within the membrane. Furthermore, Kanmani et al [36] suggested that it is affected by factors such as crystallinity, hydrophobic properties, and film thickness and integrity of the film components. All three precursor molecules of the composite film contain a large number of hydrophilic hydroxyl groups, which significantly increases the permeability coefficients of all substrate combinations, thereby limiting the application of the film to packaging of food with lower water content.…”

Stability of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG incorporated in edible films: Impact of anionic biopolymers and whey protein concentrate

“…the encapsulation of living cells in low moisture (glassy) matrices fabricated via spray or freeze drying, remains to date the most popular approach to ensure maximal viability of probiotics (Behboudi-Jobbehdar et al., 2013, Burgain et al., 2011, Meng et al., 2008, Soukoulis et al., 2014a, Tripathi and Giri, 2014). Nevertheless, the use of edible films (plasticised thin layered biopolymer structures) to embed viable probiotic cells is increasingly being studied (Gialamas et al., 2010, Kanmani and Lim, 2013, López de Lacey et al., 2014, López de Lacey et al., 2012, Romano et al., 2014, Soukoulis et al., 2014c, Soukoulis et al., 2016). Edible films have the potential to stabilise food structures at multiple scale lengths whilst creating bespoke structures (enhanced mechanical properties, prolonged shelf-life, maintenance of structural integrity) and be used to deliver nutritional enhancements through probiotic inclusion.…”

“…To understand the potential of edible films as vehicles for probiotics inclusion, parameters such as the biopolymer and plasticiser type and amount, the presence of oxygen scavenging agents and prebiotics have been recently evaluated (Gialamas et al., 2010, Kanmani and Lim, 2013, López de Lacey et al., 2014, Piermaria et al., 2015, Romano et al., 2014, Soukoulis et al., 2014, Soukoulis et al., 2014b, Soukoulis et al., 2016). In a previous work, we demonstrated that the inclusion of L. rhamnosus GG in edible films, comprising whey protein concentrate and sodium alginate, assisted bacterial cells to withstand heat and osmotic stress upon bread production and storage whereas it also enhanced their survival throughout ingestion and gastrointestinal passage (Soukoulis et al., 2014).…”

Hydrophobicity, thermal and micro-structural properties of whey protein concentrate–pullulan–beeswax films

“…In particular, the combination of protein with polysaccharides is an effective method in improving the performance of the films owing to their variability in physical properties and/or their interactions [2]. Pullulan (PUL) is a water-soluble microbial polysaccharide with excellent film-forming properties [6]. Unique linkage pattern of PUL provides distinctive physical properties, including excellent water solubility, adhesive properties and capacity for final PUL films [7,8].…”