Preparation and Characterization of Composite Films Incorporated with Chitosan,Gelatin and Rosemary

In order to obtain antioxidant activity packaging materials,chitosan-gelatin composite films incorporated with rosemary extract were developed,and the microstructure,physical properties and antioxidant activities of the film were also characterized. The results indicated that the antioxidant activity of the film was significantly(p<0.05)increased after adding 0.1% rosemary extract,and the DPPH free radical scavenging rate of the gelatin-chitosan film was increased from lower than 15% to more than 60%. The microstructure and physicochemical properties of the film were also affected by adding rosemary extract. The thermal denaturation temperature of the film was increased from 130.97 ℃ to 167.52 ℃,and the water solubility of the film was lower 12.62%. However,the mechanical properties of the film were not significantly affected. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR)showed that the incorporation of rosemary extract brought about the changes of hydroxyl groups. The results indicated that incorporating 0.1% rosemary extracts could enhance the antioxidant activity and thermal stability of the film,which would be a feasible way to develop new composite film for active packaging.