Aging of Whey Protein Films and the Effect on Mechanical and Barrier Properties

This work focuses on the aging of whey protein isolate (WPI) films plasticized with glycerol (G) and sorbitol (S). The films were cast from heated aqueous solutions at pH 7 and dried at 23 °C and 50% relative humidity (RH) for 16 h. They were stored in a climate room (23 °C, 50% RH) for 120 days, and the film properties were measured at regular intervals. The moisture content (MC) of the WPI/G films decreased from 22% (2 days) to 15% (45 days) and was thereafter constant at 15% (up to 120 days). This affected the mechanical properties and caused an increased stress at break (from 2.7 to 8.3 MPa), a decreased strain at break (from 33 to 4%), and an increased glass transition temperature (T g) (from −56 to −45 °C). The barrier properties were, however, unaffected, with constant water vapor permeability and a uniform film thickness. The MC of the WPI/S films was constant at ∼9%, which gave no change in film properties. Keywords: Whey protein; aging; mechanical properties, moisture content; water vapor permeability; glass transition temperature; glycerol; sorbitol