Anais do Simpósio Latino Americano de Ciências de Alimentos
Anais do 14 SLACA - Simpósio Latino Americano de Ciência de Alimentos

Ora-pro-nobis mucilage (MOPN), a biopolymer from a native Brazilian plant (Pereskia aculeata Miller), is a promising alternative to enhance the chemical properties of starch-based films. Therefore, this research aimed at characterizing the starch/MOPN films through FTIR analysis and studying the antioxidant activity and biodegradation of the films to enable their application as active, biodegradable packaging. The films were made by casting in four treatments with different MOPN concentrations (0 - control, 10, 20, and 30%). FTIR spectra of films added with 10, 20 and 30% MOPN showed the same peaks as the spectrum of the control treatment. In the broadband at 3276 cm-1, there was a shift in relation to the spectrum of powder MOPN, which could be due to the hydrogen bonds between the components that form the films. In addition, there was an increase of 1639 cm-1 in band intensity in films with MOPN. This was due to the formation of melanoidins, which are the main product of the Maillard reaction between the protein portion of MOPN and the starch-reducing sugar. The control film did not have inherent antioxidant properties. However, when added with MOPN, the scavenging capacity increased significantly, varying from 3.9 to 23.3% on DPPH for films with 10 and 30% MOPN, respectively. The increase in antioxidant activity is related both to phenolic composition of MOPN and to the formation of melanoidins. In the biodegradation essay, from the first seven days, all the films showed changes in their color and appearance, exhibiting cracks and diameter reduction. The greatest disintegration of the films was influenced by the highest MOPN concentration after 28 days. Finally, starch-based films added with MOPN showed to be useful as a carrier for antioxidant agents, which could help preserve and enhance the sensory properties, and add value to food products.