THE USE OF PECTIN AS A COMPONENT FOR COMBINED EDIBLE FILMS

Currently, an urgent task is the development of biodegradable formulations for production of edible, non-polluting, coating and packaging materials for food raw materials and food products. Edible films and coatings derived from polysaccharides, proteins and lipids have several advantages such as biodegradability, edibility, biocompatibility, esthetic appearance, and barrier properties against oxygen. Pectin is widely used as a component of edible films since it has a number of positive properties: availability, easy processing, low cost. The aim of this work is to assess the organoleptic properties, structure, water absorption, mechanical characteristics of edible double-ply films obtained on the basis of apple puree. The first layer contains pectin as the plasticizer. Six samples with different film types and content of plasticizers have been prepared. All films have a dark golden hue, characteristic for apple puree. The texture of all film samples is homogeneous and spongy. All the films have a flavor of the apple puree. Edible films with added fiber in the second layer have the densest texture with the smallest number of bubbles. A similar texture is observed for edible film based on apple puree with added pectin in the first and second layers. High rates of water absorption of the films with xanthan gum and gelatin in the second layer provide the ability for their chewing. Films containing pectin, agar-agar and carrageenan have sufficiently high values of tensile strength (6.48, 6.07 and 6.87 MPa). Based on the results of the conducted research it can be stated that double-ply edible films are a promising direction for the development of technology of edible films production.