Development, characterization, and biological activity of composite films: Eugenol-zein nanoparticles in pea starch/soy protein isolate films

Hao Cheng; David Julian McClements; Hao Xu; Zipei Zhang; Ruojie Zhang; Jianwei Zhao; Hui Zhou; Wu Wang; Zhengyu Jin; Long Chen

doi:10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.139342

Development, characterization, and biological activity of composite films: Eugenol-zein nanoparticles in pea starch/soy protein isolate films

Int J Biol Macromol. 2024 Dec 30:293:139342. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.139342. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Hao Cheng¹, David Julian McClements², Hao Xu¹, Zipei Zhang³, Ruojie Zhang³, Jianwei Zhao¹, Hui Zhou⁴, Wu Wang⁴, Zhengyu Jin¹, Long Chen⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi 214122, China.
² Department of Food Science, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA.
³ Food Science Program, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA.
⁴ School of Food and Biological Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230601, China.
⁵ School of Food Science and Technology, Jiangnan University, 1800 Lihu Road, Wuxi 214122, China. Electronic address: longchen@jiangnan.edu.cn.

PMID: 39743117
DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.139342

Abstract

With an increasing emphasis on environmental protection and sustainability, natural polymers like proteins and polysaccharides are being utilized more frequently in the development of biodegradable food packaging. However, the limited properties of these biopolymers have restricted their widespread applicability within the food industry. To address this issue, eugenol-loaded zein nanoparticles (ZE NPs) were incorporated into pea starch/soy protein-based films, and their effect on the physicochemical properties of these films were investigated. The ZE NPs exhibited high compatibility with the pea starch-soy protein isolate (PES/SPI) matrix, enhancing the structural properties of the films by forming hydrogen bonds between the nanoparticles and the biopolymer network. Incorporating the nanoparticles enhanced the mechanical properties, thermal stability, ultraviolet shielding, surface hydrophobicity, and moisture barrier performance of the films. Furthermore, the films containing ZE NPs exhibited significant antioxidant and antibacterial activity, suggesting their potential application as preservatives in active food packaging materials. In conclusion, the incorporation of ZE NPs significantly enhanced the performance of PES/SPI-based films, which should expand their application as food packaging materials.

Keywords: Active packaging; Essential oils; Pea starch; Soy protein isolate; Zein nanoparticles.