ANTIFUNGAL CHITOSAN-BASED FILMS AND COATINGS CONTAINING ESSENTIAL OILS FOR FRUIT APPLICATIONS
- Autores: Angela Perdones Montero
- Directores de la Tesis: Mª Desamparados Vargas Colás (dir. tes.), Amparo Chiralt Boix (dir. tes.)
- Lectura: En la Universitat Politècnica de València ( España ) en 2015
- Idioma: español
- Tribunal Calificador de la Tesis: Daniel Valero Garrido (presid.), Pau Talens Oliag (secret.), Elmira Arab Tehrany (voc.)
- Materias:
- Enlaces
- Tesis en acceso abierto en: RiuNet
- Resumen
Chitosan films and coatings have been obtained, by incorporating different essential oils (EO) and using different homogenization conditions of the film forming emulsions, in order to obtain antifungal materials for fruit preservation. The effect of oleic acid (OA) on the stability of the initial emulsions and on the film properties was analysed. Coatings were applied to control fungal decay in strawberries. The blending of chitosan with methylcellulose (MC) was also used in coating applications to tomato plants and fruits to prevent fungal infections. The films¿ functional properties as a function of their composition were analysed, as well as their antimicrobial activity through in vitro and in vivo tests.
OA incorporation in the chitosan films (1:1 wt. ratio) reduced water vapour permeability (WVP) values to about 50 % of those of net chitosan films, with a small positive effect of the microfluidization process. EO (cinnamon, thyme and basil) did not notably reduced the WVP values of the chitosan films but a significant improvement in water barrier capacity was induced when OA was also added at 1:1 or 1:0.5 CH:OA ratios. In contrast, lipids slightly promoted oxygen permeability of the films. Lipid addition decreased the film stretchability and stiffness, with a lesser impact on the resistance to break, slightly depending on the droplet sizes. Essential oils also modulated the mechanical behaviour of the films, depending on their composition. Thyme and basil EO greatly promoted film stiffness and resistance to break, whereas cinnamon oil slightly reduced these mechanical attributes. Optical properties of the chitosan films were also affected by lipid incorporation. OA reduced the film transparency and gloss depending on the concentration, but provoked small changes in the colour parameters and whiteness index. EO affected transparency to a lesser extent, but had greater impact on the colour coordinates and whiteness index of the chitosan films due to the selective light absorption of their compounds. EO blend with oleic acid mitigated the colour changes in the films. Likewise, blending of OA with EO significantly reduced the losses of volatiles during the film formation due to the promotion of the stability of the film forming emulsions.
Films containing cinnamon EO were effective in reducing the growth of Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea and Rhizopus stolonifer, although thyme and basil EO encapsulated in the films did not exhibit antifungal action against these three fungi. When chitosan-cinnamon EO coatings were applied to strawberries inoculated with R. stolonifer, they reduced the fungal decay of the fruits during 14 days, at 10 °C, at the same time that total coliform counts were maintained at the initial levels.
Chitosan coatings with lemon essential oil were also active at controlling fungal decay in strawberries. These did not significantly affect the physicochemical parameters of strawberries throughout cold storage, while they slowed down the respiration rate of the fruits and enhanced the chitosan antifungal activity against B. cinerea. The coatings, with and without lemon EO, affected the strawberry volatile profile, although it was only sensory appreciated for samples coated with chitosan-lemon oil.
Blend films of CH and MC (1:1) containing oregano EO caused phytotoxic problems at "3 Leaves" stage of tomato plants, although the total biomass and crop yield was not affected. In the "Fruit" stage, the treatments had no negative effects. Coatings reduced the respiration rate of tomatoes, diminished weight loss during postharvest storage and were effective to decrease the fungal decay of tomatoes inoculated with R. stolonifer.
Migration of thymol and carvacrol from CH-MC films in food simulants could overcome the stablished specific migration limit (60 mg/kg) for food contact packaging materials in aqueous and low pH systems if films contain a 1:1 polymer essential oil weight ratio.
