FABRICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF EDIBLE ZEIN FILM FOR SUSTAINABLE FOOD PACKAGING

Abstract

Due to their advantages of using as edible products over synthetic polymers, edible polymers have created significant deliberation in contemporary eons. This could help to reduce the contamination of the environment. Compared to the more traditional nonenvironmentally friendly plastics, edible polymers can virtually decrease the complexity and thus enhance the recyclability of products and can replace such synthetic polymers. Edible polymers opened a fresh chance to develop films, coatings, pellets and synthetic nanopolymers, especially for medical, agricultural and industrial applications. Edible polymers provide many benefits for drug delivery and tissue engineering. Edible polymer technology enables to create their products more appealing and secure to use by the food industry. New edible materials have been obtained from many natural sources that have been traditionally considered discarded materials. The purpose of this evaluation is to provide a thorough introduction to edible polymers by offering descriptions of their origin, characteristics and prospective uses. In this study properties and characteristics of pure zein film and cross-linked zein film(ZEO) has been compared.