F. Debeaufort et al., WATER-VAPOR PERMEABILITY AND DIFFUSIVITY THROUGH METHYLCELLULOSE EDIBLE FILMS, Journal of membrane science, 91(1-2), 1994, pp. 125-133
A model edible film made with methylcellulose was studied for its wate
r vapor barrier properties. The steady-state water vapor transmission
rate (WVTR) increased with both the water vapor pressure gradient and
the initial water content before permeation. A decrease in water diffu
sion with increasing moisture content was due to a clustering phenomen
on of water molecules within the film. Water concentration profiles wi
thin the film were estimated from the sorption isotherm, and differed
from the theoretical linear profile based on Fick's first law. The WVT
R and the diffusivity depended strongly on the water concentration bec
ause of interactions between water molecules and the polymer matrix. T
hus water vapor permeability (WVP) calculations used for synthetic pol
ymeric packaging and based on Fick's and Henry's laws do not apply for
methylcellulose edible films.