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. 2020 Aug 5;12(8):1748.
doi: 10.3390/polym12081748.

Formulation and Characterization of Antimicrobial Edible Films Based on Whey Protein Isolate and Tarragon Essential Oil

Maria-Ioana Socaciu  1 , Melinda Fogarasi  2 , Cristina Anamaria Semeniuc  2 , Sonia Ancuţa Socaci  1 , Mihaela Ancuţa Rotar  1 , Vlad Mureşan  2 , Oana Lelia Pop  1 , Dan Cristian Vodnar  1
Affiliations

Formulation and Characterization of Antimicrobial Edible Films Based on Whey Protein Isolate and Tarragon Essential Oil

Maria-Ioana Socaciu et al. Polymers (Basel). .

Abstract

The effects of heat treatment and the addition of tarragon essential oil on physical and mechanical properties of films prepared with 5% whey protein isolate (WPI) and 5% glycerol were investigated in this study. Heat treatment of the film-forming solution caused increases in thickness, moisture content, swelling degree, water vapor permeability (WVP), b*-value, ΔE*-value, transmittance values in the 200-300-nm region, transparency, and puncture resistance of the film, but decreases in water solubility, L*-value, a*-value, transmittance values in the 350-800-nm region, and puncture deformation. When incorporated with tarragon essential oil, heat-treated films have the potential to be used as antimicrobial food packaging. The addition of tarragon essential oil in film-forming solution caused increases in moisture content, solubility in water, WVP, a*-value, b*-value, ΔE*-value, and transparency of the film; decreases in transmittance values in the range of 600-800 nm; and variations in swelling degree, L*-value, transmittance values in the range of 300-550 nm, puncture resistance, and puncture deformation. Nevertheless, different tendencies were noticed in UNT (untreated) and HT (heat-treated) films with regards to transparency, light transmittance, puncture resistance, and puncture deformation. Based on these findings, HT films show improved physical and mechanical properties and, therefore, are more suitable for food-packaging applications.

Keywords: antimicrobial properties; edible films; heat treatment; mechanical properties; physical properties; tarragon essential oil; whey protein isolate.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Surface images of UNT and HT formulations. C-control film; F0.5-film with 0.5% tarragon essential oil; F1-film with 1% tarragon essential oil; F1.5-film with 1.5% tarragon essential oil; F2-film with 2% tarragon essential oil; F2.5-film with 2.5% tarragon essential oil.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Variation in film thickness with heat treatment and formulation. C-control film; F0.5-film with 0.5% tarragon essential oil; F1-film with 1% tarragon essential oil; F1.5-film with 1.5% tarragon essential oil; F2-film with 2% tarragon essential oil; F2.5-film with 2.5% tarragon essential oil. Values are expressed as mean ± standard deviation of 24 replicates.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Variation in moisture content with heat treatment and formulation. C-control film; F0.5-film with 0.5% tarragon essential oil; F1-film with 1% tarragon essential oil; F1.5-film with 1.5% tarragon essential oil; F2-film with 2% tarragon essential oil; F2.5-film with 2.5% tarragon essential oil. Values are expressed as mean ± standard deviation of four replicates.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Variation in swelling degree with heat treatment and formulation. C-control film; F0.5-film with 0.5% tarragon essential oil; F1-film with 1% tarragon essential oil; F1.5-film with 1.5% tarragon essential oil; F2-film with 2% tarragon essential oil; F2.5-film with 2.5% tarragon essential oil. Values are expressed as mean ± standard deviation of three replicates.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Variation of solubility in water with heat treatment and formulation. C-control film; F0.5-film with 0.5% tarragon essential oil; F1-film with 1% tarragon essential oil; F1.5-film with 1.5% tarragon essential oil; F2-film with 2% tarragon essential oil; F2.5-film with 2.5% tarragon essential oil. Values are expressed as mean ± standard deviation of three replicates.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Variation in water vapor permeability (WVP) with heat treatment and formulation. C-control film; F0.5-film with 0.5% tarragon essential oil; F1-film with 1% tarragon essential oil; F1.5-film with 1.5% tarragon essential oil; F2-film with 2% tarragon essential oil; F2.5-film with 2.5% tarragon essential oil. Values are expressed as mean ± standard deviation of three replicates.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Color attributes of edible films. (a) Untreated, (b) heat-treated. C-control film; F0.5-film with 0.5% tarragon essential oil; F1-film with 1% tarragon essential oil; F1.5-film with 1.5% tarragon essential oil; F2-film with 2% tarragon essential oil; F2.5-film with 2.5% tarragon essential oil. Values are expressed as mean ± standard deviation of 12 replicates.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Light transmittance and transparency of edible films. (a) Untreated, (b) heat-treated. C-control film; F0.5-film with 0.5% tarragon essential oil; F1-film with 1% tarragon essential oil; F1.5-film with 1.5% tarragon essential oil; F2-film with 2% tarragon essential oil; F2.5-film with 2.5% tarragon essential oil. Values are expressed as mean ± standard deviation of three replicates for light transmittance and transparency.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Light transmittance and transparency of edible films. (a) Untreated, (b) heat-treated. C-control film; F0.5-film with 0.5% tarragon essential oil; F1-film with 1% tarragon essential oil; F1.5-film with 1.5% tarragon essential oil; F2-film with 2% tarragon essential oil; F2.5-film with 2.5% tarragon essential oil. Values are expressed as mean ± standard deviation of three replicates for light transmittance and transparency.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Puncture resistance (PR) and puncture deformation (PD) of edible films. (a) Untreated, (b) heat-treated. C-control film; F0.5-film with 0.5% tarragon essential oil; F1-film with 1% tarragon essential oil; F1.5-film with 1.5% tarragon essential oil; F2-film with 2% tarragon essential oil; F2.5-film with 2.5% tarragon essential oil. Values are expressed as mean ± standard deviation of four replicates for PR and PD.
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