Effect of Fatty Acid Addition on the Properties of Biopolymer Films Based on Lipophilic Maize Starch and Gelatin

In the presented work, composed layer films based on lipophilic starch and gelatin were produced containing different amounts of fatty acids (palmitic, lauric, myristic, capric, caproic and caprylic); i.e., 5, 15, 25 and 50%, using sorbitol as the plasticizer. All films were prepared by casting in an acrylic plate and their barrier properties (vapor permeability), as well as their mechanical (tensile strength and elongation), physicochemical (water solubility) and physical (opacity and thickness) properties were measured. The addition of fatty acids to the biopolymer films increased their thickness, opacity and elongation. On the other hand, the addition of fatty acids decreased the tensile strength and water vapor permeability of the biopolymer films for all formulations studied. The fatty acid concentration found to be effective in reducing the biopolymer film permeability varied between 15 and 25%.