Novel edible films made of polysaccharide from Anarcadium occidentale L.

Edible and/or biodegradable films have been evaluated in applications such as transportation of active materials, selective barrier to gases and solutes, and as an alternative to synthetic non-renewable packaging materials. This work aimed at producing and evaluating the mechanical characteristics of films of polysaccharide from the Anarcadium ocidentale L. tree gum (POLICAJU), in view to their application as protection to increase the shelf life of fruits and vegetables and as cutaneous dressing. Films with different POLICAJU concentrations (1% - 3% w/v) were cast using different plasticizers (sorbitol, glycerol and polyethylene glycol), at different concentrations (0.02 to 0.5% g/g of POLICAJU), in the presence and in the absence of Tween 80 as surfactant (0.05% w/w). The solution of 3.0% (w/v) of POLICAJU, 0.4% (w/w) sorbitol and 0.05% (w/w) Tween 80 was the one featuring a better flexibility and mechanical resistance (to traction). This has been determined with an INSTRON (model 4505) machine, with a load cell of 2.5 N. The film, of 0.07 mm thickness, stretched for a length 62 % higher than its original length, while resisting to a force of 0.2 N. These results suggest that this material has enough resistance to be used for the intended applications