Hybrid carrageenan-based formulations for edible film preparation: benchmarking with kappa carrageenan

Abstract

An intense search for new renewable sources to produce natural polymers for edible and biodegradable packaging is observed as they offer lower environmental costs. The objective of this work is to investigate the use of hybrid carrageenan, extracted from Mastocarpus stellatus seaweeds, as an alternative to commercial kappa carrageenan in new edible film formulations. To this end, the production and characterization of biodegradable films obtained with mixtures of rice starch and hybrid carrageenan or commercial kappa carrageenan were carried out. Thin, flexible, and transparent films with attractive functional properties were obtained from rice starch–carrageenan mixtures. Films forming solutions produced with hybrid carrageenan showed rheological properties comparable to commercial kappa carrageenanbased solutions. Films formulated with hybrid carrageenan show significantly enhanced UV barrier, oxygen barrier, and hydrophobic properties. Thus, hybrid carrageenan proved to be a promising material for the production of edible coatings and biodegradable films and a good alternative to kappa carrageenan for such application