Enhancing water repellence and mechanical properties of gelatin films by tannin addition

In order to reduce pollution caused by traditional non-biodegradable plastic films, renewable raw materials from plants and wastes of meat industries have been employed in this work. A hydrolysable chestnut-tree tannin was used for gelatin modification. Films of gelatin and gelatin-tannin were obtained by casting at room conditions. Transition temperatures of both gelatin and gelatin-tannin systems were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Glass transition temperatures of modified gelatin occurred at higher temperatures than for neat gelatin. Enthalpy and temperature of helix-coil transition decreased when tannin content increased due to variations in the helical structure of gelatin as a consequence of tannin presence in agreement with X-ray analysis. Mechanical and thermal behaviour varied as a function of the content of tannin, showing optimum values for films modified with 10 wt% tannin. The transparency of films was maintained after modification with tannin. Solubility and swelling tests of the films revealed that the presence of tannin reduced the water affinity of gelatin.