Abstract:
Recently, many researchers have focused on investigating novel biopolymer sources of biodegradable
and edible films as a successful alternative for synthetic polymers that leads to environmental pollution.
Galactomannan is identified as a potential source of film making material. Fenugreek seed gum (FSG)
is a rich source of galactomannan, which can be utilized as a film-forming-agent. The main objective
of this study is to identify the capability of FSG in formulating food packaging film along with its
performance. In this study, FSG extracted from fenugreek seeds was dissolved in distilled water with
previously determined contents of plasticizer, glycerol. The film preparation was carried out by casting
the film-forming solutions followed by drying, and the physical and mechanical properties of developed
films were measured. According to the findings, the film matrices were brittle and not strong, not
cohesive. With the increase of glycerol content, the films become stickier. Further, the physical
properties; moisture content, thickness, colour parameters (L*, a*, b*) of FSG based films were
increased from 0.062 ± 0.001 mm, 54.27 ± 0.06%, 66.54 ± 0.23, 6.95 ± 0.03, 25.20 ± 0.03 to 0.094 ±
0.002 mm, 60.30 ± 0.06%, 73.23 ± 0.06, 8.93 ± 0.02, 26.37 ± 0.01 with the increase of glycerol
concentration from 0.0 to 1.5%, respectively. Regarding the mechanical properties, the tensile strength
and Young’s module were decreased from 35.61 ± 0.21, 41.68 ± 0.23 to 28.37 ± 0.11, 29.65 ± 0.10 and
the elongation at break was increased from 85.45 ± 0.03 to 95.67 ± 0.08 with the increase of glycerol
content from 0.0 to 1.5% respectively. The analysis of physical and mechanical properties reveals that
FSG is an applicable source in making edible film for food packaging and further studies are needed to
analyse its biochemical properties.
