Characterization of a novel starch-based foam with a tunable release of oxygen

作者：Zhang, Yue; Li, Chao; Fu, Xiong; Ma, Nan; Bao, Xianyang^*; Liu, Hongsheng^*

来源：Food Chemistry, 2022, 389: 133062.

DOI：10.1016/j.foodchem.2022.133062

• Starch
• Packaging foam
• Buffering
• Oxygen release
• Fruit preservation

Here, we used techniques of extrusion and coating to produce starch-based foams with a combined function of buffering and controlled release of oxygen. The foams presented open-cell structures and showed a compression recovery ratio of 94%. After coating with poly(vinyl alcohol) solution, in which calcium peroxides were loaded, the developed functional foams showed a behavior of controllable oxygen release under a wet condition, as well as a high compression strength (>= 2.2 MPa). Also, these foams showed an improved moisture resistance with a reduction in maximum moisture absorption from 25 to 14%. Under a vibrated storage condition to simulate food transportation, guavas packaged with functional foams showed a reduced physical damage, and browning index from 5.00 to 2.97, owing to the foams' superior buffering ability and self-regulation of storage atmosphere. The functional packaging system of the starch-based foams developed in our work is promising for fruit and vegetable preservations.