DEVELOPMENT OF ANTIMICROBIAL EDIBLE FILMS USING LOBSTER SHELL-WASTE DERIVED CRUDE CHITOSAN

Abstract

This thesis explored Atlantic lobster (Homarus americanus) shell-waste as a chitosan (LCh) source for developing antimicrobial edible films for food packaging applications. The study focused on improving the physicochemical properties of the films by blending fish gelatin (Ge) and sunflower oil (O) with LCh and evaluating the effect of plasticizer, polymer concentration (1-2%LCh w/v) and drying temperatures (37/60/80 °C) on these films. FT-IR, XRD and TGA analysis revealed excellent intermolecular interactions between film components; however, high-temperature drying adversely affected these interactions. The formulations of LCh-Ge-O composite films were optimized using Response Surface Methodology, and the obtained models allowed films to be tailored to a wide range of functionalities for niche packing applications. Regarding their antimicrobial activity against E. coli, neat LCh films presented a high degree of inhibition (77-83%), but composite films showed significantly reduced activity. Overall, LCh-Ge-O films demonstrated excellent potential as an eco-friendly alternative to conventional plastic films.