Film e coperture eduli con matrici a base di frutta

The performances and the properties of edible films and coatings, and the results of studies aimed at evaluating the opportunities offered by fruit-based edible films are reported. This paper is mainly focused on the final part of the research, which was performed on edible films prepared by means of thermomolding technique applied to materials based on pear puree and whey-protein-isolates. The results on thermomolding process are very promising because the performances of the edible films can be varied according to the process temperature and to the materials composition, in relation with the final characteristics of the film. Thermomolding is an effective and low cost technique to obtain edible films from plant materials added with proteins, which give the structure and the tensile properties to the films. From this point of view the whey-protein-isolates appear to give better results than soy-protein-isolates. The opportunities offered by the edible films can cover a wide range of applications if they are directed towards products not directly consumed such as, for example, cups or scones for ice creams.