Food-safe biodegradable packaging made from suspensions of citric pectin, glycerol, and calcium caseinate (CaCas) or sodium caseinate (NaCas) are excellent oxygen barriers, dissolve in hot or cold water, repel grease, and can be eaten with the food product.  The microstructure and rheological properties of the suspensions are related to those of the resulting films.  Pectin self-assembles and interacts with casein in different ways depending on ratios of CaCas or NaCas to pectin.  The elastic modulus, viscous modulus, and viscosity of caseinate suspensions and films are greatly affected by small changes in pectin concentration. Using pectin cross-linking, casein films can be stabilized under extreme environmental conditions, without degrading their barrier and other functional properties.  Microstructure and rheology reveal strong mechanistic differences in the pectin-casein interactions.  The unique characteristics of edible films based on citric pectin and CaCas or NaCas should lead to a number of applications in the food industry.<br/>

Rheology and microstructure of caseinate-based edible films

253rd National Meeting (2017)

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