“Films based on biopolymers from conventional and non conventional sources”.

SOBRAL P; ALVARADO, J.D.; ZARITZKY, N.E; LAURINDO. J.B.; GÓMEZ-GUILLÉN, C.; AÑÓN, M.C.; MONTERO, MP; DENAVI, GA; MOLINA ORTÍZ, S.E.;; MAURI A.N; PINOTTI, A.,; GARCIA, M.A.; MARTINO, M.N; CARVALHO, R.A

Hacia una Visión integrada de la Ingeniería de Alimentos

Año: 2006; p. 1 - 41

Edible films are thin materials based on biopolymers. These films are also biodegradable and because that, these materials have attracted the attention of the Food Science academic community in the last decades. The main biopolymers used in the edible films production are polysaccharides (Nisperos-Carriedo, 1994) and proteins (Gennadios et al., 1994, Torres, 1994). The polysaccharide the most used the edible film technology is the starch, because it is produced abundantly and is inexpensive. But, others polysaccharides, such as the chitosan and some cellulose derivates, have been also studied. Normally, proteins produced industrially, such as soja and gelatin from mammalian, are largely applied in the films production. But, some proteins from less conventional sources, as muscle proteins and gelatin from fish, and feather keratins, have also been studied in the last years. Thus, this work will present and discuss some aspects of the edible and/or biodegradable film technology based on biopolymers from conventional or less conventional resources.