Preparation and characterization of edible films from starch nanoparticles and chitosan

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the properties of edible films derived from the biocomposites of starch nanoparticles (SNPs) and chitosan. Chitosan was prepared in concentrations of 1.5, 2.0 and 3.0 wt%. The SNPs and film properties were investigated. The functional group of SNPs and chitosan as the edible film was evaluated. Then, the morphological structure, mechanical properties, thermal behavior and contact angles of the obtained films were also investigated. The data were subjected to a general linear model, and analysis of variance was carried out by using the SPSS version 23 software. The results from the research demonstrated that the solubility in water and the degree of swelling increased after the utilization of SNPs. Additionally, there was less tensile strength and higher elongation after the use of SNPs. Scanning electron microscopy analysis exhibited a smoother surface, and there was no formation of cracks when the starch transformed into nanoparticles. However, the addition of chitosan in SNPGC resulted in a grainy structure with irregularity on the surface of the films. Chitosan enhanced the degree of contact angles to 70.65 ± 2.90°, indicating an increase in the hydrophobicity of the films. This research suggested that the biocomposite films derived from SNPs–chitosan showed better performance.

Biodegradability of Starch Nanocomposite Films Containing Different Concentrations of Chitosan Nanoparticles in Compost and Planting Soils

“…Singh and Kamlesh [23] also reported that when the concentrations of chitosan increased, the large size of the pebbles structure in the starch film fragmented to a smaller size, hence the smoother and more homogeneous structure. Similarly, Restu et al [11] also revealed that the SEM micrograph of the neat starch film has a large and rough granule structure. They also reported that when the starch matrix was incorporated with chitosan, the films exhibited a smoother surface than neat starch film due to the good intermolecular bonding between the chitosan and starch molecules.…”

“…Among the many nanoparticles, chitosan nanoparticles (CNP) are natural materials that exhibit high antibacterial activity against a wide spectrum of pathogens [9,10], as well as antioxidant activity [11]. CNP has been used in food packaging, food coating, textiles, and other sectors [12].…”

“…Nanocomposites with antimicrobial and antioxidant functions can help to reduce the growth of post-processing contaminating microorganisms, lengthen the shelf life of food, and improve food safety [9,10,13]. Apart from that, the incorporation of different concentrations of CNP into starch-based films to produce S/CNP films has been proven to result in remarkably improved mechanical, thermal, and barrier properties of the films to be used for food packaging applications [10,11,14]. Nonetheless, despite knowing that S/CNP films are biodegradable, to the best of our knowledge, limited work has been conducted on investigating the biodegradability properties of the films containing different concentrations of CNP.…”

“…To date, no work has been carried out to investigate the biodegradability of the S/CNP films containing different concentrations of CNP in different types of soils via the soil burial test. The concentration of CNP added to starch films is one of the important parameters to be investigated, since it affected the dispersion of CNP inside the films and the many properties of the films [10,11,14]. The biodegradability of the films will be affected by the types of soils due to the different content of microorganisms, humidity, temperature, and other variables.…”