Physical, thermal and mechanical properties of Plantago major seed gum based edible films incorporated with olive, maize and canola oils

This study has investigated the effects of different types of plant oil, including olive oil, maize oil and canola oil (0.25 and 0.5% v/v) on the physical, thermal and mechanical properties of the PMS gum based films. The incorporation of plant oils increased the film thickness and decreased moisture content, moisture absorption, WVP, ultimate tensile strength (UTS), melting point (Tm) and glass transition point (Tg). The plant oils also showed plasticizing effect, whereby the values for strain (SAB) increased significantly (p < 0.05). The images taken from scanning electron microscopy indicated that, the control film appeared smooth, compact and hemogemeous. Incorporating plant oils to the film matrix led to rougher surface films, demonstrating that oil droplets were embedded and aggregated in the polymer matrix. PMS gum based films incorporated with maize oil appeared more compact and has a smoother and more uniform physical appearance compared to films incorporated with canola and olive oils. This could be described by the more uniform distribution of maize oil droplets and good stability of the emulsion during casting.