Microbial biofilm activity and physicochemical characterization of biodegradable and edible cups obtained from abdominal exoskeleton of an insect

• Biodegradable and edible cups obtained from an insect abdominal exoskeleton
• Natural bioplastic was obtained from abdominal exoskeleton of an insect.
• Chitin and chitosan bio-cups were characterized by FT-IR, TGA, XRD and SEM.
• The cups had antimicrobial activity on Listeria monocytogenes and Candida albicans.
• The highest chitin content (4.21 ± 53.3%) was recorded from exoskeleton of Pimelia sp.

A contemporary focus in food industry is the use of edible bio-based products with properties such as antimicrobial and biodegradable to replace the synthetic harmful petroleum-based polymers. Among the natural polysaccharides, chitin has generated considerable research interest thanks to its biocompatibility and abundance. This study investigated the production of chitin bio-cups from abdominal exoskeleton of an insect as an alternative to synthetic materials in food processing industry. The physicochemical properties of the obtained chitin and chitosan cups were studied by FT-IR, TGA, XRD and SEM analyses. The purity of the extracted chitin was examined by chitinase digestive test. The microbial biofilm formation on the cups was tested and no growth was recorded for the common food pathogen bacteria (Listeria monocytogenes) and yeast (Candida albicans). Considering the antimicrobial, antioxidant, nontoxic and edible nature of chitin and chitosan, these cups can be suggested as an alternative bioplastic for food protection.Industrial relevanceIn recent years much research has focused on the use of nontoxic and edible biopolymers as film and coating material in food industry to eliminate the use of carcinogenic and harmful petroleum products. Among the biopolymers, chitin and its deacetylated form, chitosan, are attracting widespread interest thanks to their nontoxic, biodegradable and edible properties. Here in this study, we investigated the production of chitin bio-cups from abdominal exoskeleton of an insect as an alternative to synthetic materials in food processing industry.