Kinetics of release from kafirin films

Two separate studies were performed. The first studied release of two different preservatives (lactic acid and calcium propionate) from a biopolymer film to a model food with a water activity of aw=0.95. The second investigated the release of four sugars (fructose, maltose, raffinose and stachyose) with different molecular weights from a biopolymer film to a model food with water activities ranging from 0.85 to 0.95. In both studies, the biopolymer films containing the release components were made from kafirin and placed on the model food, consisting of a gel made of gelatine, sucrose and water with well defined water activity. The amount of preservatives and sugars released from the film to the gel were monitored over time using HPLC at different depths in the model food.