Hydrocolloidal materials, i.e. proteins and polysaccharides, used extensively for the formation of
edible films and coatings are presented in Table 1. All hydrocolloids used are fully or partially soluble in
water and are used principally to increase the viscosity of the continuous phase (aqueous phase) i.e as
gelling agent or thickener [1, 8, 10-11]. They can also be used as emulsifier since their stabilizing effect
on emulsions derives from an increase in viscosity of the aqueous phase of the edible film. The kinetic
motion of the oil droplets is reduced, resulting in a lower rate of flocculation and coalescence in the
film