Pau Talens

Edible and Biodegradable Starch Films: A Review

Mainly due to environmental aims, petroleum-based plastics are being replaced by natural polymers. In the last decades, starch has been evaluated in its film-forming ability for applications in the food packaging area. Characteristics of the starch film matrices, the film formation methods, and physicochemical properties of the starch films are reviewed in this paper. The influences of different components added in casting methods and thermoplastic processes have been also analyzed. Comparison of mechanical properties of newly prepared starch films and stored films reveals that the recrystallization phenomenon made the films more rigid and less stretchable. These effects can be inhibited by adding other polymers to the starch matrix. Other approaches to improve the starch films’ properties are the reinforcement by adding organic or inorganic fillers to the starch matrix as well as the addition of functional compounds. In this way starch films have improved mechanical and barrier properties and can act as a bioactive packaging. Physicochemical properties of the starch films showed a great variability depending on the compounds added to the matrix and the processing method. Nevertheless, dry methods are more recommendable for film manufacturing because of the greater feasibility of the industrial process. In this sense, a better understanding of the nano and microstructural changes occurring in the matrices and their impact on the film properties is required.

Changes in mechanical properties throughout osmotic processes: Cryoprotectant effect

Abstract In osmotic dehydration of fruits, physical and chemical changes occurring throughout the process provoke changes in the product texture and appearance to a different degree depending on the process conditions and product characteristics. Nevertheless, water content reduction and sugar gain have been observed to have some cryoprotectant effects on colour and texture in several fruits. In this work, the specific influence of osmotic treatments with sucrose solutions at 30°C on mechanical properties of mango, kiwi and strawberry are discussed. The combined effect of blanching and vacuum impregnation is analysed in mango. The influence of osmotic solution concentration and vacuum impregnation on kiwi fruit is discussed and the effect of osmotic dehydration, as compared with air drying is analysed in strawberry. In all cases, changes in mechanical properties of fresh and pre-dehydrated fruits due to freezing–thawing are compared in order to quantify the cryoprotectant effect of the osmotic treatment.

Influence of sucrose solution concentration on kinetics and yield during osmotic dehydration of mango

The effect of the sucrose solution concentration on the process kinetics and yield during osmotic dehydration of mango (Kent var.) cylinders has been studied. Processes were carried out at 30 °C, using 35, 45, 55 and 65 °Brix sucrose, at atmospheric pressure (osmotic dehydration) and by applying a vacuum pulse (50 mbar for 10 min) at the beginning of the process (pulsed vacuum osmotic dehydration, PVOD). Kinetics of sugar gain, and water loss, as well as changes in sample mass and volume was analysed. Effective diffusion coefficients in the fruit liquid phase were also estimated. Microstructure of the mango samples after 15 min of PVOD treatments were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Effective diffusion coefficient in the fruit liquid phase increased when sucrose concentration decreased and was always higher in pulsed vacuum osmotic processes. These give rise to tissue impregnation with sucrose solution to an exceptional extent for the treatment with 45 °Brix, which induces a very high sugar gain-water loss ratio.

Changes in optical and mechanical properties during osmodehydrofreezing of kiwi fruit

Abstract The influence of osmotic dehydration and freezing–thawing on optical (colour and translucency) and mechanical properties of kiwi slices were analysed. Osmotic treatments were carried out in sucrose solutions up till the soluble solids in kiwi fruit reached 30 °Brix, both at atmospheric pressure (OD) and by applying a vacuum pulse (PVOD). Analyses were carried out on fresh and dehydrated samples before and after frozen storage (at −18 °C for 1 and 30 days). Reflexion spectra (400–700 nm) were measured to obtain the Kubelka–Munk coefficients and CIE- L * a * b * colour co-ordinates. Mechanical properties were analysed through the compression test. A transparency gain was observed in PVOD treated samples and in frozen–thawed samples, which implied a reduction in product clarity and chrome. Colour hue did not change notably, due to either osmotic treatments or freezing. Samples treated with 45 °Brix osmotic solution at atmospheric pressure were the best preserved in mechanical properties after freezing–thawing.

Effect of Fatty Acids and Beeswax Addition on Properties of Sodium Caseinate Dispersions and Films

Edible films based on sodium caseinate and different saturated fatty acids, oleic acid, or beeswax were formulated. Film-forming emulsions were characterized in terms of particle size distribution, rheological behavior and surface tension. In order to evaluate the influence of lipids on sodium caseinate matrices, mechanical, optical, and water vapor barrier properties were studied, taking into account the effect of water content and film structure on such properties. Saturated fatty acids affected the film properties in a particular way due to the formation of bilayer structures which limited water vapor permeability, giving rise to nonflexible and more opaque films. Oleic acid and beeswax were less effective as water vapor barriers, although the former imparted more flexibility to the caseinate films and did not reduce the film transparency notably.

Properties of starch–hydroxypropyl methylcellulose based films obtained by compression molding

Corn starch-glycerol (1:0.3) films, containing or not citric acid (1g/100g starch) and HPMC (10 and 20g/100g starch), are obtained by compression molding. The microstructure of the films, the thermal behavior, the X-ray diffraction spectra and the physical properties (mechanical, barrier and optical) were analyzed after 1 and 5 storage weeks at 25°C and 53% relative humidity. The bonded citric acid and film solubility were also determined. Starch-HPMC blend films showed a dispersed phase of HPMC in a continuous, starch-rich phase with lower glass transition than HPMC-free films. The addition of citric acid also provoked a decrease in glass transition in line with the partial hydrolysis of starch chains. Both components implied a decrease in the water vapour permeability while the oxygen permeability slightly increased. Although citric acid only provoked a small hardening effect in the films, it greatly decreased their extensibility (weak cross-linking effect), which seems to increase during film storage. Starch crystallization during storage was inhibited by both citric acid and HPMC.

Active bilayer films of thermoplastic starch and polycaprolactone obtained by compression molding

Bilayer films consisting of one layer of PCL with either one of thermoplastic starch (S) or one of thermoplastic starch with 5% PCL (S95) were obtained by compression molding. Before compression, aqueous solutions of ascorbic acid or potassium sorbate were sprayed onto the S or S95 layers in order to plasticize them and favor layer adhesion. S95 films formed bilayers with PCL with very good adhesion and good mechanical performance, especially when potassium sorbate was added at the interface. All bilayers enhanced their barrier properties to water vapour (up to 96% compared to net starch films) and oxygen (up to 99% compared to PCL pure). Bilayers consisting of PCL and starch containing 5% PCL, with potassium sorbate at the interface, showed the best mechanical and barrier properties and interfacial adhesion while having active properties, associated with the antimicrobial action of potassium sorbate.

In-Line Estimation of the Standard Colour Index of Citrus Fruits Using a Computer Vision System Developed For a Mobile Platform

A key aspect for the consumer when it comes to deciding on a particular product is the colour. In order to make fruit available to consumers as early as possible, the collection of oranges and mandarins begins before they ripen fully and reach their typical orange colour. As a result, they are therefore subjected to certain degreening treatments, depending on their standard colour citrus index at harvest. Recently, a mobile platform that incorporates a computer vision system capable of pre-sorting the fruit while it is being harvested has been developed as an aid in the harvesting task. However, due to the restrictions of working in the field, the computer vision system developed for this machine is limited in its technology and processing capacity compared to conventional systems. This work shows the optimised algorithms for estimating the colour of citrus in-line that were developed for this mobile platform and its performance is evaluated against that of a spectrophotometer used as a reference in the analysis of colour in food. The results obtained prove that our analysis system predicts the colour index of citrus with a good reliability (R2 = 0.925) working in real time. Findings also show that it is effective for classifying harvested fruits in the field according to their colour.

Aroma barrier properties of sodium caseinate-based films.

The mass transport of six different aroma compounds (ethyl acetate, ethyl butyrate, ethyl hexanoate, 2-hexanone, 1-hexanol, and cis-3-hexenol) through sodium caseinate-based films with different oleic acid (OA)/beeswax (BW) ratio has been studied. OA is less efficient than BW in reducing aroma permeability, which can be attributed to its greater polarity. Control film (without lipid) and films prepared with 0:100 OA/BW ratio show the lowest permeability. OA involves a decrease in aroma barrier properties of the sodium caseinate-based films due to its plasticization ability. Preferential sorption and diffusion occurs through OA instead of caseinate matrix and/or BW. The efficiency of sodium caseinate-based films to retain or limit aroma compound transfers depend on the affinity of the volatile compound to the films, which relates physicochemical interaction between volatile compound and film. Specific interactions (aroma compound-hydrocolloid and aroma compound-lipid) induce structural changes during mass transfer.

Use of oil-in-water emulsions to control fungal deterioration of strawberry jams.

This work aimed to control the fungal deterioration of strawberry jams. The antifungal activity of the clove, cinnamon leaf, lemon and mandarin essential oils and their effectiveness in oil-in-water emulsions were evaluated. According to the results obtained, only clove and cinnamon leaf oils were selected to prepare emulsions. All the tested emulsions were stable, independently the amount of polymer and essential oil used. Essential oil loss was affected by the amount of polymer employed to prepare the emulsions. The oil-in-water emulsions with 5.0mg/g xanthan gum, and with 0.55mg/g clove or 0.65mg/g cinnamon leaf essential oil, were used for the in vivo tests. The jams prepared with the oil-in-water emulsions showed a lower fungal decay compared with jams without emulsion. The present work demonstrated that emulsions can be employed to prevent strawberry jam mould spoilage.