UV-Shielding films of bacterial cellulose with glycerol and chitosan. Part 2: Structure, water vapor permeability, spectral and thermal properties

Bacterial cellulose films synthesized by Komagataeibacter xylinus were combined with glycerol and chitosan to obtain composite films with improved UV-barrier. In part 2, the interaction among the compounds was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, UV-Vis and FT-IR spectra, thermogravimetry, and differential scanning calorimetry. The water permeability, water solubility and water retention capacity were analyzed by response surface methodology. The optical properties indicated that glycerol and chitosan improved the UV-barrier properties, obtaining average transmittance values in the UV regions below 5.15%. This fact opens multiple possibilities for applications in foods and products sensitive to sunlight radiation. Hence, these properties would facilitate the application of BC–glycerol–chitosan films on fresh food, with high moisture content and susceptible to oxidation by the sunlight radiation. In addition, the thermal properties of the films showed that they could be applied in heat-treated foods at temperatures until 135°C.