Ana Mônica Quinta Barbosa Bittante

Properties of gelatin-based films incorporated with chitosan-coated microparticles charged with rutin

The aim of this study was development an active film based on gelatin incorporated with antioxidant, rutin carried into microparticles. The complexation between oppositely charged lecithin and chitosan was applied to prepare the chitosan-coated microparticles. The generated microparticles had an average size of 520±4nm and a span of 0.3 were formulated by a rotor-stator homogenize at the homogenization speed 10,000rpm. Composite films were prepared by incorporating chitosan-coated microparticles, at various concentrations (0.05, 0.1, 0.5, or 1% (based on the weight of the gelatin powder)) in the gelatin-based films. For the prepared films, the results showed that obtained physicochemical, water vapor barrier, and mechanical were compared with native gelatin film with a slight decrease for chitosan concentration higher than 0.5%. The microstructure studies done by scanning electron microscopes, revealed different micropores embedded with oil resulting from the incorporation of the microparticles into the gelatin matrix. Moreover, the calorimetric results were comparable to those of gelatin control film with Tg value 45°C and increased crystallinity percentage with increasing incorporation of microparticles. This original concept of composite biodegradable films may thus be a good alternative to incorporate liposoluble active compounds to design an active packaging with good properties.

Physicochemical Properties of Maranta (Maranta arundinacea L.) Starch

Maranta (Maranta arundinacea L.) can be considered as a non-conventional raw material for starch. The objective of this work was to characterize the maranta starch. These starch granules had spherical and elongated geometries with average size of 56.60 μm. The maranta starch presented B-type crystal, revealed by x-ray spectra, and gelatinization temperature of 65.5°C as determined by thermal (differential scanning calorimetry) analysis. Maranta starch suspensions have a pseudoplastic behavior which was well described using a power law model. Storage and loss moduli increased drastically during gelatinization process, corroborating with differential scanning calorimetry results. In general, maranta starch could have numerous applications in the food industry.Maranta (Maranta arundinacea L.) can be considered as a non-conventional raw material for starch. The objective of this work was to characterize the maranta starch. These starch granules had spherical and elongated geometries with average size of 56.60 μm. The maranta starch presented B-type crystal, revealed by x-ray spectra, and gelatinization temperature of 65.5°C as determined by thermal (differential scanning calorimetry) analysis. Maranta starch suspensions have a pseudoplastic behavior which was well described using a power law model. Storage and loss moduli increased drastically during gelatinization process, corroborating with differential scanning calorimetry results. In general, maranta starch could have numerous applications in the food industry.

Phase transitions in biodegradable films based on blends of gelatin and poly (vinyl alcohol)

The aim of this work was to study the effect of the hydrolysis degree (HD) and the concentration (CPVA) of two types of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and the effect of the type and the concentration of plasticizers on the phase properties of biodegradable films based on blends of gelatin and PVA, using a response-surface methodology. The films were made by casting and the studied properties were their glass (Tg) and melting (Tm) transition temperatures, which were determined by diferential scanning calorimetry (DSC). For the data obtained on the first scan, the fitting of the linear model was statistically significant and predictive only for the second melting temperature. In this case, the most important effect on the second Tm of the first scan was due to the HD of the PVA. In relation to the second scan, the linear model could be fit to Tg data with only two statistically significant parameters. Both the PVA and plasticizer concentrations had an important effect on Tg. Concerning the second Tm of the second scan, the linear model was fit to data with two statistically significant parameters, namely the HD and the plasticizer concentration. But, the most important effect was provoked by the HD of the PVA.

Biodegradable Films Based on Gelatin and Montmorillonite Produced by Spreading

The main objective of this research was to study the properties of gelatin-based nanocomposites reinforced with the montmorillonite (MMT). The gelatin-based nanocomposites were prepared with solutions of 5 g of gelatin/100 g of film-forming solution, 0–10 g of montmorillonite/100 g of gelatin, and 30 g of glycerol/100 g of gelatin and were stored for 7 days at 58% relative humidity or in silica gel, depending on the type of assay. The reinforcement of gelatin-based nanocomposites with montmorillonite increased their thickness and decreased the moisture content. Tensile strength and Young’s modulus increased revealing more resistant and rigid nanocomposites. The increase in MMT concentration slightly changed the X-ray diffraction spectra indicating some loss of crystallinity and reinforced films presented less homogeneous structures. The montmorillonite concentration had not a clear effect on the thermal properties and FTIR spectra of nanocomposites were very similar to separated compounds.