Short communicationRelease behavior of quercetin from chitosan-fish gelatin edible films influenced by electron beam irradiation
Introduction
Edible films and coatings offer the opportunity to effectively control mass transfer among different components within a food system or between the food and its surrounding environment (Debeaufort et al., 2002, Hernandez-Izquierdo and Krochta, 2008). Moreover, a modern trend for developing active edible films and coatings is to combine different biological polymeric materials and to incorporate various functional ingredients, such as nutritional supplements, antimicrobial or antioxidant agents (Cheng, Wang, & Weng, 2015). The most frequently used materials for edible films and coatings are polysaccharides (such as starch, cellulose derivatives, alginate, pectin and chitosan), proteins (such as gelatin, zein, gluten, milk casein, whey and soy proteins) and lipophilic materials (such as glycerides, beeswax and shellac). These materials can be used either individually or in combination to produce films and coatings (Nesterenko, Alric, Silvestre, & Durrieu, 2013). Active packaging can be achieved when functional ingredients are incorporated.
Chitosan is a natural polymer obtained by the deacetylation of chitin, which is a fish industry by-product. It is among the most investigated polysaccharides for active edible films and coatings development due to its inherent antimicrobial, antifungal properties and good film forming ability (Fernández-Pan, Maté, Gardrat, & Coma, 2015). Gelatin is another widely used bio-based material obtained by the controlled hydrolysis of the insoluble fibrous collagen present in the bones and skin generated by fish processing wastes. Its excellent film forming ability is well-known (Hoque, Benjakul, & Prodpran, 2010). Gelatin and chitosan based films used for coating or packaging could maintain the quality of foods during storage, due to their good barrier to oxygen, light and prevention of dehydration and lipid oxidation (Jongjareonrak et al., 2006, Park and Zhao, 2004). In order to improve the food-protective capacity of chitosan and/or gelatin films, various active substances including synthetic antimicrobial and antioxidant agents or natural plant extracts have been added into the film for increasing the food shelf life (Wu et al., 2015). In acidic environment (pH < pKa) the amino groups of chitosan are protonated and their positive charges can interact with polyanions such as gelatin, at a pH lower than its isoelectric point, forming a polyelectrolyte complex. Due to these characteristics, chitosan and gelatin have been widely used for the production of edible films (Benbettaïeb, Karbowiak, Brachais, & Debeaufort, 2015a).
The incorporation of antioxidants in these biodegradable edible polymers is an interesting alternative to food preservation, since oxidation is one of the major problems affecting food quality as well as biopolymer film ageing (Martins, Cerqueira, & Vicente, 2012). The use of natural, non-toxic antioxidants such as ferulic acid or α-tocopherol is sought in order to be consistent with the consumer health (Benbettaïeb et al., 2015, Fabra et al., 2011). Very few studies have established the effects of polymer structure, in particular chitosan-gelatin films, on the retention and release properties of the antioxidant compounds (Papadokostaki, Amarantos, & Petropoulos, 1998). Besides, irradiation have been shown as a promising technique to induce cross-linking between polymers and to improve the physical and functional properties of edible coatings (Benbettaïeb et al., 2015b, Vachon et al., 2000). However, the effects of irradiation treatment on the release mechanism of active compounds from edible films are not well-known. Lacroix et al. (2002) showed that gamma-irradiation was efficient enough for inducing cross-links in calcium caseinate edible films and could thus be envisaged for the immobilization of enzymes or active compounds. Gamma irradiation of caseinate also contributed to control the release. However, these works neither explained the mechanism involved in the release rate delay nor the impact of irradiation on the diffusivity of active molecules into the simulant media. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of electron beam irradiation on the release behaviour of quercetin in hydroethanolic medium.
Section snippets
Materials and reagents
Commercial grade chitosan (CS) (France Chitine, ref 652, molecular weight of 165 kDa, low viscosity, deacetylation degree of 85%, France) and commercial grade fish gelatin (G) (Rousselot 200 FG 8, Bloom degree = 180, viscosity = 4 mPa s at 45 °C and pH = 5.4) were used as film-forming matrix. Anhydrous glycerol (GLY) (Fluka Chemical, 98% purity, Germany) was used as a plasticizer. Glacial acetic acid (Sigma, 99.85% purity) helped to improve the solubility of chitosan. Quercetin (minimum purity
Results and discussion
The release kinetics of quercetin from chitosan-gelatin based films (non-irradiated and irradiated at 40 and 60 kGy) in hydroethanolic solution (30% ethanol v/v) are given in Fig. 1. The release kinetics of quercetin exhibited the typical shape of non-time dependent and non-concentration dependent diffusion. Irradiation seemed to delay and to better retain the quercetin in the chitosan-gelatin films. Indeed, the content of quercetin remaining in the film after release increased from 6.6 ± 1.6
Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully acknowledge the CNSTN Management in Tunisia and the International Atomic Energy Agency (AIEA, Austria) for the financial support of this work (AIEA TUN14011 project). The authors wish to thank the colleagues from SDRI-Direction in the CNSTN and PAM-PAPC research team for precious collaboration and help. The authors wish to sincerely thank Prof. JP Gay for English improvement.
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2022, Food BioscienceCitation Excerpt :Active packaging has gained a lot of attention in food industries. This is attributed to the ability to encapsulate natural preservatives, flavourings and bioactive agents within the biopolymer particles instead of adding them directly into the food for a longer shelf life and better quality of food products (Ghosh, Mandal, Sarkar, Panda, & Das, 2009; Benbettaïeb, Chambin, Karbowiak, & Debeaufort, 2016). This could protect the food during processing, storage, and direct ingestion in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract (Chen et al., 2004; Fang & Bhandari, 2010).