Gellan gum films as carriers of L-(+)-ascorbic acid

Edible gellan films were evaluated as carriers for stabilizing L-(+)-ascorbic acid (AA) for nutritional purposes and antioxidant effect on foods. AA retention during film casting (initial value), as well as stability and non-enzymic browning (NEB) development along film storage (25 degrees C) at 33.3%, 54.7% or 75.2%-relative humidity (RH) were assessed. Initial AA retention was around 100%, and half-lives were 36, 26 and 11 days, respectively. AA destruction followed a pseudo-first order kinetics in gellan matrices. A water activity map was built for AA losses and NEB. AA and NEB kinetics were attributed to the restricted mobility of water molecules. (C) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.