Preparation and Characterization of Soya Film Coated Paper as Food Packaging:A Case Study of the Packaging for Shelf Life Extension of Dried Banana

摘要

Paper is used as packaging for various consumable products, especially food and fresh produce. The paper may come in the form of plain, waxed or polyethylene-coated paper (PE-coated paper). The latter two are either brittle or present difficulty in managing waste from the packaging. In this report, soya film coated paper (SF-coated paper) was produced by casting from soya milk. Physical properties of the coated paper were investigated, and compared with those of PE-coated and plain paper. Additionally, the lyotropic textures of the soya milk used in the casting of the soya film were investigated under optical polarizing microscopy. The results show that the textures of soya milk are comparable to those of commercially available lecithin, which is composed of bilayer structures of Maltese cross and Myelin finger. The bilayer structure plays an important role in the properties of the SF-coated paper. The SF-coated paper exhibited better physical properties than the plain paper, though, not as good as the PE-coated paper. As for the shelf life of dried banana, the SF-coated paper exhibited the best performance of all three types. Thus, the soya film coated paper might be an eco-friendly choice for the packaging of dried banana and other food produce.