Preparation and Characterization of Okra Mucilage (Abelmoschus esculentus) Edible Films

Abstract

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) is a perishable fruit with an extremely short post-harvesting period. In the present study we have investigated the development of edible films obtained from mucilage of rejected okra fruits. The obtained okra mucilage was characterized by FTIR, percentage yield, swelling index in water, percentage solubility in water, XRD, TGA and DSC. The TGA curve has showed that okra mucilage has good thermal stability and low moisture content, which was demonstrated by the low initial mass loss. Edible films were prepared with two mucilage concentrations (1% and 1.5% w/v) combined with three plasticizer contents (PEG-200), 0.25%, 0.50% and 0.75% v/v. The produced films were evaluated for their wettability, folding endurance, water solubility and color analysis of L à a à b color parameters. All analyses have demonstrated that plasticizer plays a key role in the system. The results obtained indicated that okra mucilage has potential to be used as edible film.

A Comprehensive Review on Plant-Derived Mucilage: Characterization, Functional Properties, Applications, and Its Utilization for Nanocarrier Fabrication

“…Besides, at the same temperature range the enthalpy (315.8729 and 3624.787 J/g), DTG peak (350.3 °C and 614.4 °C), and heat change (138.4354 and 1082.215 μVs/mg) were observed for both first and second decomposition stages [ 61 ]. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) has emerged as an excellent physical technique to investigated physical and chemical or exothermic and endothermic changes that occur in the mucilage during thermal processing [ 62 ]. The high thermo-stable property of mucilage can be utilized in paints for stabilizing suspensions or emulsions, improve bake-stability in cakes, preventing crystal growth, and improving freeze-thaw stability [ 6 ].…”

Cactus Mucilage for Food Packaging Applications

“…Edible films made up from natural polysaccharides are facing huge interest due to their potential industrial applications. In the last few years, mucilage from quince, flax, chia, Balangu, Dracocephalum moldavica seeds, okra fruits (Abelmoschus esculentus), and cactus (Cactaceae) have been used to develop edible films with unique properties [33,[43][44][45][46][47][48]. Likewise, cactus mucilage from different varieties and different plant organs was employed to develop bio-based materials.…”

Abelmoschus esculentus (L.): Bioactive Components’ Beneficial Properties—Focused on Antidiabetic Role—For Sustainable Health Applications

“…The biosynthesis involved reducing the number of silver ions in the solution of silver nitrate with an aqueous vegetable extract of Abelmoschus esculentus , was monitored by FTIR. Several authors characterized the okra mucilage for studying its use in the biofilm [62,63].…”

“…The bioenergetic uses of okra are discussed by Moosavi et al [110]. De Alvarenga Pinto Cotrim et al [62] investigated the development of edible films obtained from the mucilage of rejected okra fruits. Another interesting application of the use of okra mucilage for biofilms was shown in the current work of Araújo et al [63]: okra mucilage/corn starch films for food applications were developed by casting and then characterized to establish its main requirements for packing material.…”