Gelatin- and Papaya-Based Biodegradable and Edible Packaging Films to Counter Plastic Waste Generation
Most of the food packaging materials used in the market are petroleum-based plastics; such materials are neither biodegradable nor environmentally friendly and require years to decompose. To overcome these problems, biodegradable and edible materials are encouraged to be used because such materials...
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MDPI AG
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Materials |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/3/1046 |
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| author | Jaweria Ashfaq Iftikhar Ahmed Channa Asif Ahmed Shaikh Ali Dad Chandio Aqeel Ahmed Shah Bushra Bughio Ashfaque Birmahani Sultan Alshehri Mohammed M. Ghoneim |
| author_facet | Jaweria Ashfaq Iftikhar Ahmed Channa Asif Ahmed Shaikh Ali Dad Chandio Aqeel Ahmed Shah Bushra Bughio Ashfaque Birmahani Sultan Alshehri Mohammed M. Ghoneim |
| author_sort | Jaweria Ashfaq |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Most of the food packaging materials used in the market are petroleum-based plastics; such materials are neither biodegradable nor environmentally friendly and require years to decompose. To overcome these problems, biodegradable and edible materials are encouraged to be used because such materials degrade quickly due to the actions of bacteria, fungi, and other environmental effects. In this work, commonly available household materials such as gelatin, soy protein, corn starch, and papaya were used to prepare cost-effective lab-scale biodegradable and edible packaging film as an effective alternative to commercial plastics to reduce waste generation. Prepared films were characterized in terms of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), optical transparency, and tensile strength. FTIR confirmed the addition of papaya and soy protein to the gelatin backbone. WVTR of the gelatin-papaya films was recorded to be less than 50 g/m<sup>2</sup>/day. This water vapor barrier was five times better than films of pristine gelatin. The gelatin, papaya, and soy protein films exhibited transparencies of around 70% in the visible region. The tensile strength of the film was 2.44 MPa, which improved by a factor of 1.5 for the films containing papaya and soy protein. The barrier qualities of the gelatin and gelatin-papaya films maintained the properties even after going through 2000 bending cycles. From the results, it is inferred that the prepared films are ideally suitable for food encapsulation and their production on a larger scale can considerably cut down the plastic wastage. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:36:32Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-eb6d8a6594d04037a1433ccdccae83d6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1996-1944 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T23:36:32Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Materials |
| spelling | doaj.art-eb6d8a6594d04037a1433ccdccae83d62023-11-23T17:01:23ZengMDPI AGMaterials1996-19442022-01-01153104610.3390/ma15031046Gelatin- and Papaya-Based Biodegradable and Edible Packaging Films to Counter Plastic Waste GenerationJaweria Ashfaq0Iftikhar Ahmed Channa1Asif Ahmed Shaikh2Ali Dad Chandio3Aqeel Ahmed Shah4Bushra Bughio5Ashfaque Birmahani6Sultan Alshehri7Mohammed M. Ghoneim8Department of Metallurgical, Materials & Environmental Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi 75270, PakistanDepartment of Metallurgical, Materials & Environmental Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi 75270, PakistanDepartment of Metallurgical, Materials & Environmental Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi 75270, PakistanDepartment of Metallurgical, Materials & Environmental Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi 75270, PakistanDepartment of Metallurgical, Materials & Environmental Engineering, NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi 75270, PakistanLarkana Campus, Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Medical University, Larkana 77150, PakistanOjha Campus, DOW University of Health Sciences (DUHS), Karachi City 74200, PakistanDepartment of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh 1145, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, AlMaarefa University, Ad Diriyah 13713, Saudi ArabiaMost of the food packaging materials used in the market are petroleum-based plastics; such materials are neither biodegradable nor environmentally friendly and require years to decompose. To overcome these problems, biodegradable and edible materials are encouraged to be used because such materials degrade quickly due to the actions of bacteria, fungi, and other environmental effects. In this work, commonly available household materials such as gelatin, soy protein, corn starch, and papaya were used to prepare cost-effective lab-scale biodegradable and edible packaging film as an effective alternative to commercial plastics to reduce waste generation. Prepared films were characterized in terms of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), optical transparency, and tensile strength. FTIR confirmed the addition of papaya and soy protein to the gelatin backbone. WVTR of the gelatin-papaya films was recorded to be less than 50 g/m<sup>2</sup>/day. This water vapor barrier was five times better than films of pristine gelatin. The gelatin, papaya, and soy protein films exhibited transparencies of around 70% in the visible region. The tensile strength of the film was 2.44 MPa, which improved by a factor of 1.5 for the films containing papaya and soy protein. The barrier qualities of the gelatin and gelatin-papaya films maintained the properties even after going through 2000 bending cycles. From the results, it is inferred that the prepared films are ideally suitable for food encapsulation and their production on a larger scale can considerably cut down the plastic wastage.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/3/1046edible filmpapaya pureegelatinsoy proteinfilm propertiesthin film |
| spellingShingle | Jaweria Ashfaq Iftikhar Ahmed Channa Asif Ahmed Shaikh Ali Dad Chandio Aqeel Ahmed Shah Bushra Bughio Ashfaque Birmahani Sultan Alshehri Mohammed M. Ghoneim Gelatin- and Papaya-Based Biodegradable and Edible Packaging Films to Counter Plastic Waste Generation Materials edible film papaya puree gelatin soy protein film properties thin film |
| title | Gelatin- and Papaya-Based Biodegradable and Edible Packaging Films to Counter Plastic Waste Generation |
| title_full | Gelatin- and Papaya-Based Biodegradable and Edible Packaging Films to Counter Plastic Waste Generation |
| title_fullStr | Gelatin- and Papaya-Based Biodegradable and Edible Packaging Films to Counter Plastic Waste Generation |
| title_full_unstemmed | Gelatin- and Papaya-Based Biodegradable and Edible Packaging Films to Counter Plastic Waste Generation |
| title_short | Gelatin- and Papaya-Based Biodegradable and Edible Packaging Films to Counter Plastic Waste Generation |
| title_sort | gelatin and papaya based biodegradable and edible packaging films to counter plastic waste generation |
| topic | edible film papaya puree gelatin soy protein film properties thin film |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/15/3/1046 |
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