Development of the mechanical and barrier properties of collagen hydrolysate/carboxymethyl cellulose films by using SiO2 nanoparticles

Pollution is a global problem and the increased use non-biodegradable plastic packaging films have caused environmental concerns. Thus, there is a tendency to use natural polymer materials, such as biodegradable films. This paper aims to prepare and characterize novel collagen hydrolysate/carboxymethyl cellulose/nano-SiO2 films for packaging/coating applications. The results indicate that the incorporation of nano-SiO2 in films from 1% to 4% caused significant increase (p<0.05) in thickness and tensile strength but significantly decreased the elongation at break. Nano-SiO2 drastically reduced the water vapor permeability and water solubility values of films. Furthermore, the increments in nano-SiO2 proportion in films increased the values of transparency and provided a reduction in the light transmission in the ultraviolet and visible range. This study demonstrates that nano-SiO2 addition to collagen hydrolysate/carboxymethyl cellulose films gives significantly effects on properties of film produced. The enhancement of film properties shows the potential for using collagen hydrolysate/carboxymethyl cellulose films for coating/packaging purposes