Development of antioxidant and antimicrobial xanthan-based cryogels with tuned porous morphology and controlled swelling features

• Published in: International journal of biological macromolecules Vol. 156; pp. 608 - 620
• Main Authors: Raschip, Irina Elena, Fifere, Nicusor, Varganici, Cristian-Dragos, Dinu, Maria Valentina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.08.2020
• Subjects: Anti-Infective Agents - chemistry; Anti-Infective Agents - pharmacology; Antioxidant properties; Antioxidants - chemistry; Antioxidants - pharmacology; Cryogels - chemistry; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Molecular Structure; Polysaccharides, Bacterial - chemistry; Polysaccharides, Bacterial - ultrastructure; Polyvinyl Alcohol - chemistry; Porosity; Red grape pomace; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Xanthan gum; Xanthan gum; Red grape pomace; Antioxidant properties
• ISSN: 0141-8130; 1879-0003
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2020.04.086

Novel porous films based on xanthan gum (XG), poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), and red grape pomace (RGP), as entrapped natural antioxidant agent, were prepared by freeze/thawing, a versatile and non-destructive method. The stability of XG/PVA films was dependent on the crystalline zones created by PVA under freeze/thawing treatment. After three cryogenic cycles, the introduction of RGP into the 3D polymer matrix plays a major role by hindering the access of water into the cavities already formed during the first and second cryogenic cycles. By contrast, XG/PVA-based cryogels with enhanced mechanical strength were obtained when the number of freeze/thawing cycles increased from three to seven, while pores stability was improved by entrapment of RGP. The remarkable antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of XG/PVA/RGP cryogel films compared to the XG/PVA films, indicates the potential application of these systems in food packaging.