Fabrication and Properties of Gelatin/Dialdehyde Chitosan Films

Abstract Non-biodegradable petroleum-based packaging film waste has led to a severe environmental pollution and human health problems. Gelatin and chitosan are attractive biopolymers for biomedical and food packaging applications due to biocompatibility, biodegradability, renewability, nontoxicity, and good gas barrier properties. However, disadvantages of the gelatin and chitosan are their low physicochemical stability and poor mechanical properties. In this study, dialdehyde chitosan was synthesized by periodate oxidation to use as a cross-linking agent for gelatin. The effect of the incorporation of the dialdehyde chitosan with 10, 15 and 20 wt% on mechanical and swelling properties as well as wettability of the gelatin films was investigated. The results reveal that the mechanical strength and swelling properties of the gelatin films were improved as an increase in the dialdehyde chitosan content, whereas the addition of the dialdehyde chitosan led to a decrease in water swelling ability in the gelatin films. Moreover, the wettability of the gelatin/dialdehyde chitosan films showed hydrophobic behaviour. Thus, the obtained gelatin/dialdehyde chitosan films as green polymeric products have a potential for food packaging fields.