Development and characterization of food packaging film from cellulose sulfate

Novel edible films prepared from cellulose sulfate (CS) and glycerol by casting film-solution on leveled trays were characterized in this research. The dense CS films with ordered microstructure were transparent, homogenous, flexible, water-soluble and resistant to oils and fats. The CS molecular weight and glycerol content affected mechanical properties and water vapor permeability of CS film. The tension strength (TS) of CS film prepared from high MW (η2% = 907, 2% aqueous solutions viscosity) could reach 60.27 MPa, at which the elongation at break (EAB) of CS film was 15.88%. Increasing the molecular weight of CS could improve the TS and EAB, while addition of glycerol would decrease the TS. Furthermore, the addition of glycerol and increasing CS molecular weight could decrease the WVP down to values about 3.7 × 10−11 g m−1 s−1 Pa−1, which revealed that the vapor barrier performance of CS film could be regulated by CS molecular weight and glycerol content. The CS based coating could extend the shelf life of bananas. Therefore, cellulose sulfate could be used as potential degradable coating materials in food packaging.