Physical and mechanical properties of quince seed mucilage based film incorporated with sorbitol as a new bio packaging material for food applications

Novel edible films based on the incorporation of sorbitol (20, 35, and 50% w/w) on quince seed mucilage were manufactured and physical, mechanical properties were investigated. Characterizations of quince seed mucilage film with 35% sorbitol compared with conventional plasticizer (glycerol) at the same concentration. Based on the results, as the concentration of sorbitol increased, the water vapor permeability (WVP), water solubility and moisture content of quince seed mucilage films increased significantly, while tensile strength (TS) and surface hydrophobicity was declined. The measurement of color values showed that with the increasing the concentration of sorbitol in the polymer matrix, the L* value decreased, while b* and a* values increased. The results revealed that incorporation of sorbitol in the bio-polymer solution respected to glycerol (at the same concentration) led to obtaining a film with better barrier property and lower affinity to water. The WVP of the films increased with increasing storage relative humidity. Microscopic images showed the crystalline structure of film with sorbitol meanwhile a smooth, continuous structure with some cracks was observed in the film containing glycerol. Concluding, sorbitol could be incorporated into quince seed mucilage based films to obtaining advanced edible films with low affinity to water for improving the safety and shelf-life of food products.

Keywords:

Edible film , Glycerol , Quince seed mucilage , Plasticizer , Sorbitol