Research on the function of grafted chitosan films for preservation of raw shrimp

ADELAIDA ÁVILA; KARINA L. BIERBRAUER; MIRIAM C. STRUMIA

Bahía Blanca

Simposio; IX Simposio Argentino de Polímeros; 2011

Centro Científico Tecnológico – CONICET-Bahía Blanca

Fresh shrimp is a highly perishable product, thus they suffer darkening discoloration (melanosis). Shrimp preservatives used sodium bisulfite (SB), which induces undesirable reaction in sensitive asthmatics. Biodegradability and non-toxicity allow chitosan (CH) to be a promising material for packaging and biomedical devices (El Hadrami et al, 2010). A great deal of applications has been found for this polymer, including its use for the preservation of fruits and vegetables, based on the ability to form a thin layer´/film around the product which then acts as a barrier, or a semi-permeable coating (El Ghaouth et al, 2006). Chemical modification of CH sought to impart advantageous properties for synthesizing newer materials has increasingly; their main effort being centered on the introduction of a second component, into the CH to form an IPN, a blend or grafted products (Bayramoglu, G et al, 2007). One of the main objectives of this research was to obtain biocomposite films with good mechanical properties maintaining the advantageous properties of CH. With this purpose, hydroethyl methacrylate (HEMA) was graft copolymerized onto the CH backbone using radical initiation without using any toxic crosslinkers. We evaluate the feasibility of using CH and CH grafted films to preserve the premium quality of whole fresh shrimps monitoring sensory indicators of appearance (including melanosis) and odor. We evaluate the feasibility of using CH and CH grafted films to preserve the premium quality of whole fresh shrimps monitoring sensory indicators of appearance (including melanosis) and odor.