Chitosan-based composite
films incorporating GFSE as an
antimicrobial and antifungal agent were successfully fabricated
by solution casting technique. All chitosan-based composite
films
showed remarkable transparency regardless of the amounts of
GFSE incorporated. Though the tensile strength of the chitosanbased
composite
films decreased with increasing GFSE, chitosan-
0.5% v/v GFSE composite
film had a tensile strength of 20.6 MPa
that was comparable in tensile strength to that of commonly used
synthetic polyethylene
films and addition of GFSE had notably
improved the elongation at break of the
films. Results from
preliminary antifungal activity evaluation demonstrated that the
chitosan-based composite
films also have the potential for
retarding the incidence of fungal growth. Increasing amounts of
GFSE in the chitosan
film further enhance the antifungal activity of
the
films and could increase the shelf-life of the bread to two fold.
Therefore, biodegradable chitosan-based composite
film with the
incorporation of GFSE, having good physical, mechanical and
antifungal properties is promising to be used as a biodegradable
biopolymer-based composite packaging material, to enhance food
safety and extend the shelf-life of packaged food in the area of food
technology.
Acknowledgement
The authors would like to thank the National University of
Singapore for awarding a National University of Singapore
Research Scholarship to YMT.
Fig.