DEVELOPMENT AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A NOVEL EDIBLE FILM BASED ON GUAR GUM AND CARBOXYMETHYL GUAR GUM
Anuradha Saha, Rajinder K. Gupta and Yogesh K. Tyagi*
ABSTRACT
The growth in demand of fresh vegetables and fruits has propelled food industry to establish safer storage methods for prolonging shelf life and improving quality. Recently, edible coatings have been extensively explored for extending shelf life of fruits and vegetables. Edible and biodegradable films have several benefits like biodegradability, non-toxic, economical and readily available. On the other hand, its synthetic counterparts cause environmental pollution which is the greatest concern in today's world. Edible films and coatings represent a barrier to oxygen, moisture, which results in a better preservation of food quality. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the physico-chemical properties of guar gum, carboxymethyl guar gum, cinnamon oil and potassium sorbate based composite coatings which had been used to extend the shelf life of vegetable like cucumber and tomato. Carboxymethyl guar gum is a novel material used for edible coating. Mechanical, barrier, structural, thermal and light transmission properties were obtained along with water activity and contact angle were also evaluated.
Keywords: Edible films, Fruits, Coatings, Shelf life, physico-chemical properties.
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