Plantago major seed gum based biodegradable films: Effects of various plant oils on microstructure and physicochemical properties of emulsified films

Plantago major seed (PMS) contains significant amounts of gum which potentially can be used in biopolymer based packaging. This research has evaluated the effects of different kinds of plant oils, including olive, maize and canola on the various aspects of the PMS gum based biodegradable films. Incorporation of plant oils increased the film thickness and strain at break (SAB) values and decreased moisture content, moisture absorption, water vapor permeability (WVP), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), melting point (T-m) and glass transition point (T-g). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that the microstructure of the control film appeared smooth, compact and homogeneous and incorporating of oils led to rougher structure. XRD analysis of samples demonstrated a typical semi-crystalline structure in the emulsified PMS gum based film.