Multifunctional Biobased Poultry Gelatin Films: The Role of Chili Seed Oil Nanoemulsions in Enhancing Performance and Sustainability

Abstract

This study was conducted to fabricate and characterize poultry gelatin-based films incorporated with chili seed oil nanoemulsions. The particle size of developed nanoemulsions ranges between 60 and 129 nm with a zeta potential of −20–(−30) mV. The flow behavior of filmogenic solutions containing nanoemulsions was evaluated by the Herschel–Bulkley model with R² and k ranging between 0.997 and 0.999 and 0.0179–0.0252, respectively. In the dynamic rheological analysis, the G′ value of the filmogenic solutions was greater than the G″ values and increased with increasing nanoemulsion concentration. The CIELAB L*, a*, and b* color coordinates ranged between 21.16 and 19.82, −0.39–(−0.32), and 0.58 and 1.93, respectively. With increasing nanoemulsion concentration from 5 to 20%, the film solubility, moisture content, tensile strength, and elongation at break decreased, while the thickness and water vapor permeability increased. All film samples showed lower transmittance values in the UV region, with increasing nanoemulsion percentage, the transmittance decreased significantly (P < 0.05). The contact angle increased from 44.21° to 97.70° with increasing nanoemulsion concentration. The film samples showed peaks from 3285 to 3305 cm^–1 representing amide-A, and a peak at 1748 cm^–1 in all the film samples was attributed to the ester linkages of triglyceride carbonyls. Scanning microscopic analysis indicated that the roughness of films increased with increasing nanoemulsion concentration. The mechanical, barrier properties, antioxidant, antibacterial, and UV-blocking capabilities improved significantly. Thus, developed films have potential applications in food packaging.