Cellulose microfibrillated suspension of carrots obtained by mechanical defibrillation and their application in edible starch films

Abstract

A suspension of microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) of carrot was obtained by mechanical defibrillation and it was applied as reinforcement in starch edible films. It was investigated the effect of different amounts of carrots and different numbers of passages through the defibrillator on the resulting suspensions of carrot MFC films. It was also investigated the physical, mechanical, morphological and structural properties of films from corn starch reinforced with suspensions of carrot MFC as a function of the concentration of carrot and the number of passages through the mechanical defibrillator. The carrot concentration and number of passages through the mechanical defibrillator affected the final particle size, film color and thickness, water vapor permeability (WVP), and tensile strength (TS) of the suspensions of carrot MFC films. Starch films reinforced with suspensions of carrot MFC had a lower WVP and higher TS than starch films. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows that the largest number of passages through the mechanical defibrillator results in less aggregation of MFC, making it possible to obtain a good interaction between the suspensions of carrot MFC and starch matrix.