Biodegradable sodium alginate films incorporated with lycopene and β-carotene for food packaging purposes
Diego Santiago Tupuna‐Yerovi, Helena de Oliveira Schmidt, Alessandro de Oliveira Rios
Abstract
Incorporating carotenoids into sodium alginate films can give them functional properties for food packaging applications. The lycopene and β-carotene were included in the biopolymer matrix at 0.1%, 0.3%, and 0.5% (g carotenoid/g polymer). There was no significant difference ( p > 0.05) in film thickness (45 ± 1 μm) of sodium alginate films with carotenoids. Nevertheless, the low quantity of carotenoids was enough to promote significant variations in the tensile properties of films. The films with lycopene or β-carotene showed lower tensile strength and elongation at break than control films. The carotenoid incorporation promoted a reduction ( p < 0.05) in water vapor permeability, mainly by adding 0.5%. In the same way, it improved the light transmission and thermal stability of films and did not affect the water solubility of films. The scanning electron microscopy of films showed a homogeneous surface, but the films with lycopene or β-carotene showed a more compact structure than the control film. The sodium alginate films incorporated with 0.3% lycopene or β-carotene showed a remarkable protective effect on sunflower oil against oxidation compared with traditional commercial plastic packaging under accelerated storage conditions (heat and light). Therefore, they can be considered a potential material for food packaging purposes.