Development and Characterization of Pullulan-Carboxymethyl Cellulose Blend Film for Packaging Applications
Murugesan Thangavelu, Senthil Vadivu Kulandhaivelu
Abstract
Edible packaging materials have widespread applications in pharmaceutical industries. In this study, the physical, thermal, colour, mechanical, and water barrier properties of a novel edible film based on pullulan (PUL) and carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) were investigated. The blend films were made by the solution casting method with 3 g of total solid content. The following percentages of 100/0, 75/25, 50/50, 25/75, and 0/100 were used to prepare the films. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were used to analyze the interaction between PUL and CMC. At the level of 75/25 percentage of PUL, CMC film showed the lowest EAB% (5.55%), the highest values for TS (17.30 MPa), WVP value ( <a:math xmlns:a="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" id="M1"> <a:mn>4.12</a:mn> <a:mo>×</a:mo> <a:msup> <a:mrow> <a:mn>10</a:mn> </a:mrow> <a:mrow> <a:mo>−</a:mo> <a:mn>10</a:mn> </a:mrow> </a:msup> </a:math> g m-1s-1Pa-1), and water contact angle of 63.43°. By increasing the CMC concentration, blend films became slightly greenish and yellowish but appeared transparent with UV blocking ability. This study reveals that 75/25 (PUL/CMC) blend film has a good potential that can be used in producing edible packaging films to protect the quality of pharmaceutical products with interesting specifications.