Characterisation of ferulic acid incorporated starch-chitosan blend films

The present study has evaluated the characteristics of ferulic acid incorporated starch-chitosan blend films, which finds possible application as an edible film or coating. The barrier properties of the blend films were found to improve considerably upon the incorporation of oxidized ferulic acid. Studies on the surface morphology of the control blend films by light microscopy, SEM and AFM revealed a relatively smooth and homogenous nature for the films; however, ferulic acid incorporated films at higher concentrations exhibited phase separation as visualized in the AFM images. At the optimal concentration of ferulic acid (75 mg/100 g of blend solution) a tensile strength of 62.71 MPa and a percentage elongation of 21.6% were observed. The amorphous nature of the blend and ferulic acid incorporated films supported good miscibility of the components as revealed by the X-ray diffraction studies. The FTIR studies indicated intermolecular interaction between the different components. The ferulic acid incorporated films were also found to reduce the lipid peroxide formation. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.