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The sugar palm fruit (Arenga pinnata Merr.) has a great potential to be widely used in food industries due to its galactomannan that is able to form stable gels at high temperatures and produce excellent film properties. This study aimed to determine the optimum formula of edible films made from sugar palm fruit blended with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), beeswax, and glycerol, and then used them as food packaging. The independent variables included CMC concentration was 2–4% (w/v), beeswax concentration was 0.5–2% (w/v) and glycerol concentration was 1–2% (v/v). Sugar palm fruit 10 g and 100 mL of distilled water were set as fixed variables. The quality of the films was observed including thickness, heat sealability, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), and solubility. The optimum formula was achieved as follows: 3.11% (w/v) CMC, 2.00% (w/v) beeswax, and 1.00% (v/v) glycerol. The optimum formula of edible film was thickness of 0.15 mm, heat sealability of 115.51 N/m, WVTR value of 2.86 g/m2/h, and solubility of 75.61%. Based on the characteristics of dissolution time test showed that the edible pouch took 2.5 min to dissolved.

The sugar palm fruit (Arenga pinnata Merr.) has a great potential to be widely used in food industries due to its galactomannan that is able to form stable gels at high temperatures and produce excellent film properties. This study aimed to determine the optimum formula of edible films made from sugar palm fruit blended with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), beeswax, and glycerol, and then used them as food packaging. The independent variables included CMC concentration was 2-4% (w/v), beeswax concentration was 0.5-2% (w/v) and glycerol concentration was 1-2% (v/v). Sugar palm fruit 10 g and 100 mL of distilled water were set as fixed variables. The quality of the films was observed including thickness, heat sealability, water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), and solubility. The optimum formula was achieved as follows: 3.11% (w/v) CMC, 2.00% (w/v) beeswax, and 1.00% (v/v) glycerol. The optimum formula of edible film was thickness of 0.15 mm, heat sealability of 115.51 N/m, WVTR value of 2.86 g/m2/h, and solubility of 75.61%. Based on the characteristics of dissolution time test showed that the edible pouch took 2.5 min to dissolved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of green packaging materials is requested due to the growing concerns about plastic waste. As the most abundant natural polymer on earth, cellulose can be dissolved and regenerated to make transparent films. However, cellulose is not a thermoplastic, so cellulose films are usually sealed by an adhesive for packaging applications. Herein, this study aimed to endow regenerated cellulose (RC) films with heat sealability by coating a layer of zein, and the mechanical and barrier properties of the composite cellulose/zein films were characterized. The results revealed that, with a thin zein coating, all the composite films were able to be sealed by a tabletop impulse sealer without the need for high temperature or high pressure and showed larger tensile strain and better water vapor and oxygen barrier properties compared to the RC films. Moreover, it was worth noting that the blueberries packed in the heat-sealed cellulose/zein bags were protected from oxidation and spoilage during a 12-day storage period and were comparable to the ones packed by Ziploc®. Thus, this work demonstrates a facile way to fabricate cellulose-based packaging materials that are heat sealable and have potential applications in sustainable food packaging.