abstract
Chitosan-based functional materials are emerging for food applications. The covalent bonding of molecular entities demonstrates to enhance resistance to the typical acidity of food assigning mechanical and moisture/gas barrier properties. Moreover, the grafting to chitosan of some functional molecules, like phenolic compounds or essential oils, gives antioxidant, antimicrobial, among others properties to chitosan. The addition of nanofillers to chitosan and other biopolymers improves the already mentioned required properties for food applications and can attribute electrical conductivity and magnetic properties for active and intelligent packaging. Electrical conductivity is a required property for the processing of food at low temperature using electric fields or for sensors application.
keywords
CROSS-LINKED CHITOSAN; MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES; GRAFTED CHITOSAN; FILMS; GENIPIN; ACID; ANTIOXIDANT; HYDROGELS; COATINGS; BARRIER
subject category
Chemistry
authors
Nunes, C; Coimbra, MA; Ferreira, P
our authors
Groups
G2 - Photonic, Electronic and Magnetic Materials
G4 - Renewable Materials and Circular Economy
Projects
CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UID/CTM/50011/2013)
Projeto de Investigação Exploratória: Paula Ferreira (IF_Paula Ferreira)
Embalagens em biocompósitos para preservação ativa de alimentos (BIOFOODPACK)
acknowledgements
We thank all our collaborators involved in the work mentioned in this Accounts. FCT/MEC, Portugal (CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials - POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007679, FCT UID/CTM/50011/2013), through National funds and where applicable, co-financed by the FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement. EU COST Action MP1202 and BIOFOODPACK (M-ERA-NET2/0021/2016) are also acknowledged. C. Nunes and P. Ferreira thank FCT for their grants SFRH/BPD/100627/2014 and IF/00300/2015, respectively.