Development of chia seed (Salvia hispanica) mucilage films plasticized with polyol mixtures: Mechanical and barrier...

Food packaging is one of the main contributors to the high rates of environmental contamination; therefore, interest has emerged on the use of biopolymers as alternative materials to replace conventional food packaging. Chia seed (Salvia hispanica) is recognized by having a high content of a polysaccharide called mucilage. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility using of chia seed mucilage (CSM) and a polyol mixture containing glycerol and sorbitol for the development of films. CSM films with higher sorbitol content showed superior tensile strength (3.23 N/mm²) and lower water vapor permeability (1.3*10^-9 g/m*s*Pa), but had poor flexibility compared to other treatments. Conversely, high glycerol content showed high elongation at break (67.55%) and solubility (22.75%), but poor water vapor permeability and tensile strength. Film formulations were optimized implementing a factorial design according to response surface methodology. Raman spectra analysis showed shifts from 854 to 872 cm^-1 and 1061 to 1076 cm^-1, β (CCO) modes, indicating an increase in hydrogen bonding, responsible for the high tensile strength and decreased water vapor permeability observed in this study. The optimum conditions of polyol concentration were 1.3 g of glycerol and 2.0 g of sorbitol per g of CSM. Based on these results, chia seed mucilage can successfully be used to develop biofilms with potential to be used in drug delivery and edible food coating applications.