Characterization of konjac glucomannan-ethyl cellulose film formation via microscopy

Man Xiao, Li Wan, Harold Corke, Wenli Yan, Xuewen Ni, Yapeng Fang, Fatang Jiang*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

42 Scopus citations

Abstract

Konjac glucomannan-ethyl cellulose (KGM-EC, 7:3, w/w) blended film shows good mechanical and moisture resistance properties. To better understand the basis for the KGM-EC film formation, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to observe the formation of the film from emulsion. Optical microscopy images showed that EC oil droplets were homogeneously dispersed in KGM water phase without obviously coalescence throughout the entire drying process. SEM images showed the surface and cross-sectional structures of samples maintained continuous and homogeneous appearance from the emulsion to dried film. AFM images indicated that KGM molecules entangled EC molecules in the emulsion. Interactions between KGM and EC improved the stability of KGM-EC emulsion, and contributed to uniformed structures of film formation. Based on these output information, a schematic model was built to elucidate KGM-EC film-forming process.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)434-441
Number of pages8
JournalInternational Journal of Biological Macromolecules
Volume85
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Apr 2016
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Blend film
  • Ethyl cellulose
  • Film forming process
  • Konjac glucomannan
  • Microscopy

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