Tuning mechanical, barrier and water resistance properties of pectin films through almond shell-derived nanocellulose reinforcement and Ca 2+ crosslinking
Abstract
Pectin films were produced from citrus pectin and almond-shell nanocellulose (NC) to assess the effects of NC (0–6 wt%) and Ca2+ crosslinking. Films were cast without Ca2+, with Ca2+ in the film-forming solution, or both with Ca2+ in the film-forming solution and an additional post-casting Ca2+ bath. NC and Ca2+ during casting caused limited stiffening; however, the bath greatly increased tensile strength and Young's modulus, with the strongest effect at 4% NC (up to 156 and 110% higher than the control without NC or crosslinking, respectively). Increasing NC improved oxygen barrier properties, reducing oxygen permeability by 48% (reaching 6.71 ± 0.10 × 10−21 m3 m m−2 s−1 Pa−1 at 6 wt% NC), while Ca2+ had no significant effect on oxygen permeability but reduced water vapour permeability by 41%. Non-bathed films were fully soluble in water, whereas bath-treated films improved, although still partial, water resistance, further enhanced by increasing NC content, reaching solubilities up to 26% lower than the double-crosslinked film without NC (88% solubility). NC also increased thermal stability, raising the main degradation onset by up to 24% relative to the control (158 °C). Overall, this work demonstrates the combined effect of residue-derived NC and sequential Ca2+ crosslinking as a novel strategy to tailor the mechanical, barrier, water-resistance and thermal properties of pectin-based films, showing potential for sustainable food packaging applications, particularly for dry or low-moisture products and multilayer structures.
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BibTeX
@article{estan2026tuning,
title = {{Tuning mechanical, barrier and water resistance properties of pectin films through almond shell-derived nanocellulose reinforcement and Ca 2+ crosslinking}},
author = {Andrea Están and Chloé Chevigny and Susana Simal and Mónica Umaña},
journal = {Sustainable Food Technology},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1039/d6fb00037a},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05735910v1},
note = {CC BY-NC 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Tuning mechanical, barrier and water resistance properties of pectin films through almond shell-derived nanocellulose reinforcement and Ca 2+ crosslinking
AU - Andrea Están
AU - Chloé Chevigny
AU - Susana Simal
AU - Mónica Umaña
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/07
JO - Sustainable Food Technology
DO - 10.1039/d6fb00037a
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05735910v1
AB - Pectin films were produced from citrus pectin and almond-shell nanocellulose (NC) to assess the effects of NC (0–6 wt%) and Ca2+ crosslinking. Films were cast without Ca2+, with Ca2+ in the film-forming solution, or both with Ca2+ in the film-forming solution and an additional post-casting Ca2+ bath. NC and Ca2+ during casting caused limited stiffening; however, the bath greatly increased tensile strength and Young's modulus, with the strongest effect at 4% NC (up to 156 and 110% higher than the control without NC or crosslinking, respectively). Increasing NC improved oxygen barrier properties, reducing oxygen permeability by 48% (reaching 6.71 ± 0.10 × 10−21 m3 m m−2 s−1 Pa−1 at 6 wt% NC), while Ca2+ had no significant effect on oxygen permeability but reduced water vapour permeability by 41%. Non-bathed films were fully soluble in water, whereas bath-treated films improved, although still partial, water resistance, further enhanced by increasing NC content, reaching solubilities up to 26% lower than the double-crosslinked film without NC (88% solubility). NC also increased thermal stability, raising the main degradation onset by up to 24% relative to the control (158 °C). Overall, this work demonstrates the combined effect of residue-derived NC and sequential Ca2+ crosslinking as a novel strategy to tailor the mechanical, barrier, water-resistance and thermal properties of pectin-based films, showing potential for sustainable food packaging applications, particularly for dry or low-moisture products and multilayer structures.
SN - 2753-8095
ER -