Soybean okara is an agricultural waste product that is generated during the production of soymilk and tofu products. It has been reported that about 14 million tons of soybean okara are estimated to be wasted annually in Asian countries. Soluble soybean polysaccharide (SSPS) is a polysaccharide extracted from the soybean okara. The major component of SSPS composed of short-chain homogalacturonan and long-chain rhamnogalacturonan backbones with a number of branches. SSPS has excellent water solubility, antioxidative property, good film-forming ability, emulsifying property, and nutritional value. Thus, it has found increased application in the past several years in food industry. In recent years, polysaccharide derivatives containing aldehyde groups have been recognized as effective crosslinking reagents for proteins. In this work, oxidized soybean polysaccharide (OSSPS) was synthesized by periodate oxidation of SSPS which creates Schiff's base through the reaction between the amino groups of gelatin and aldehyde groups of OSSPS. Gelatin is a bio-based protein obtained from animal collagen by a hydrolysis reaction. The effects of OSSPS content on the mechanical, thermal, barrier, and optical properties of gelatin films were evaluated. Additionally, the OSSPS-crosslinked gelatin films were examined by attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We expected that the addition of OSSPS could widen the application of gelatin-based films in food packaging.

Oxidized soluble soybean polysaccharide crosslinked gelatin films for food packaging applications

ACS Fall 2021

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