C. Caner et al., Chitosan film mechanical and permeation properties as affected by acid, plasticizer, and storage, J FOOD SCI, 63(6), 1998, pp. 1049-1053
The effects of acid (acetic, formic, lactic, propionic) concentrations, pla
sticizer concentrations, and storage time (up to 9 wk) on mechanical proper
ties, water vapor permeability, and oxygen permeability of solution-cast ch
itosan films were determined. Measured water vapor permeability coefficient
s ranged from 5.35 to 13.20 x 10(-1) g/m.day.atm. Oxygen permeated coeffici
ents ranged from 0.08 to 31.67 x 10(-3) cc O-2/ m.day.atm. Neither property
was affected by storage time. Tensile strength (6.85-31.88 Mpa) also was n
ot time dependent, but elongation (14-70%) decreased with storage time. Lac
tic acid solutions produced the lowest oxygen permeability values, formic a
cid the highest. Films formed with 7.5% lactic acid solutions had uniquely
high values for elongation at break.