Improving the properties of agar films for food packaging

Agar films possess several properties adequate for food packaging applications. However, their high cost-production and quality variations caused by physiological and environmental factors affecting wild seaweeds make them less attractive for industries. Researchers at the Universidade do Porto in Portugal obtained agars from sustainably grown seaweeds and mixed them with locust bean gum (LBG).
They found that agar films were easier to process upon locust bean gum addition. The mechanical properties and water resistance were optimal for films with 50 and/or 75% locust bean gum contents. An article about the research is published in Carbohydrate Polymers.
Click here for an abstract of the article.

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