Dialdehyde Modified Tree Gum Karaya: A Sustainable Green Crosslinker for Gelatin-Based Edible Films

Natural biopolymers, which are environmentally friendly materials, are an appealing resource for producing edible films. Edible packaging films may be consumed with the food or beverage that they hold since they are made from edible components derived from plants and animals. Even if they are not consumed, they disintegrate quickly, significantly reducing the waste disposal problem. In this work, karaya dialdehyde (KDA) with a variable aldehyde content is effectively produced through the periodate oxidation of gum karaya and subsequently used as an eco-friendly crosslinking agent for edible gelatin films. Chemical crosslinking between the gelatin protein chains is generated when KDA is added, producing a water-stable film. The mechanical properties are found to be significantly improved as a result of the covalent bonding between the two polymers. Excessive oxidation, on the other hand, has a detrimental effect on the film properties. Despite the crosslinking, the films are biodegradable, suggesting that composite films made in an environmentally benign manner in an aqueous media using polymers derived from biosources may be utilizable in the edible film-based packaging sector.