Bioactive films based on babassu mesocarp flour and starch

This work aimed to evaluate the properties of films prepared with babassu mesocarp flour or with starch isolated from babassu mesocarp by steeping in water (WS), alkaline steeping (KS), or acid steeping (AS). The films were obtained by casting; glycerol was used as plasticizer. Although the babassu flour presented high content of amylose, its major content of protein and fiber afforded a less mechanically resistant, more flexible, more opaque, more hydrophilic, more water vapor-permeable film with greater capacity to absorb water as compared to the babassu starch films. The WS, AS, and KS methods yielded purer starches with different contents of amylose, lipids, fibers, and total phenolic compounds, which influenced the mechanical and functional properties of the starch films. Due to its major content of amylose, the WS starch film was stronger, more rigid, less soluble, less water vapor-permeable, and more crystalline than the AS and the KS starch films. X-ray diffraction and SEM reveled that the WS starch film had denser and more ordered and homogeneous structure. However, the AS starch film had the highest antioxidant activity (70%) due to the largest amount of total phenolic compounds. The babassu flour and starch films exhibited good antioxidant activity, so they can be used as materials for packaging of oxidation-sensitive foods. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.