Propolis application in food preservation: development of chitosan-based edible films
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abstract
Edible films derived from chitosan highlight for its potential as coating packages, due to
their antimicrobial activity and low oxygen permeability, while propolis has shown effective as a
natural additive due to its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. Thus, its combination to
produce edible films, provides a promising approach to enhance the life spam of easily perishable
foods. The present study describes the development of edible films based on chitosan produced
from chitin extracted crawfish shell, modified with propolis. Chitosan-based films prepared
incorporating different concentrations of poplar propolis extracts (0% to 20%), where
characterized by FTIR, TGA and SEM. Additionally, mechanical properties, water-solubility,
colour and optical transmittance tests were performed to assess the film specificities. The
antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the coating were also studied. The FTIR spectra of the
extracted material enable the identification of all major peaks associated to chitosan,
corroborating the extraction procedure of chitin/chitosan from crawfish. The addition of propolis
to the films decreased the water solubility compared to control. Besides, all films exhibited
antioxidant and antimicrobial activity. The output clear indicates that films enriched with propolis
may be an alternative candidate for food packing.
The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support by national
funds FCT/MCTES to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020). National funding by FCT- Foundation for Science and Technology,
through the institutional scientific employment program-contract with Soraia I. Falcão.
