Enhanced antioxidant activity of fish gelatin–chitosan edible films incorporated with procyanidin

Gelatin and chitosan are edible polymers, which may be used in combination with antioxidant extracts as films to extend shelf life of foods. In this work, fish gelatin–chitosan edible films with procyanidin (PC) are successfully prepared. The effects of PC on the antioxidant, microstructure, physical properties, and antimicrobial activity of the films and solutions are studied. The results suggest that the addition of PC makes the gelatin–chitosan film possess the highest 2,2-azinobios-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical scavenging activity up to 95.63% at 1.00 mg/mL. As to mechanical properties, drop in tensile strength (27.17 ± 2.35%) and gain in elongation at break (33.42 ± 2.48%) are found for film with 1.00 mg/mL of PC. Owing to the simultaneous antioxidant and antimicrobial activities displayed for these films based on blends of gelatin and chitosan and additivated with PC could provide an alternative as active packaging material for food applications such as fish, meat, and cheese. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 45781.