| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4563275 | LWT - Food Science and Technology | 2016 | 9 Pages |
•Nanoclay and LAE addition changed chitosan film properties.•Nanoclay addition to films decreased the crystallinity.•Presence of nanoclay in films reduced the water solubility.•Nanoclay increased elongation at break of chitosan films.•Presence of LAE and/or nanoclay increased the tensile strength.
Chitosan films have good barrier properties to gases, but present high water vapor permeability. The addition of a nanoclay (Cloisite®30B) was studied to improve the water vapor permeability and mechanical properties of chitosan films, and ethyl-Nα-dodecanoyl-l-arginate hydrochloride (LAE) was added as an antimicrobial agent. Chitosan-acetate films were prepared by solvent casting technique from chitosan solutions (20 g/L) with different combinations of nanoclay (0–5–10 g/L) and LAE (0–0.5–1 g/L) by using an experimental design of 32. Physical properties were evaluated and the results showed different thickness for all films (0.058–0.084 mm). Moisture content (25.2–34.0 g/100 g), water solubility (29.0–47.2%), water vapor transmission rate (1.81 × 10−3–2.34 × 10−3 kg s−1m−2) and crystallinity decreased significantly in the films with high concentration of nanocompound, due to clay layers constitute a barrier to gases and water. The elongation at break (49.6–66.3%) and tensile strength (6.7–9.0 MPa) increased significantly. Chitosan film with 10 g/L of nanoclay and/or 1 g/L of LAE gathered the best physico-mechanical properties.
