Fabrication and characterization of alginate-based films functionalized with nanostructured lipid carriers

This study focuses on the fabrication and characterization of alginate-based films functionalized by incorporating nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs). The effect of different NLC/alginate mass ratios (R = 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.35) on the physical, morphological, mechanical, and barrier properties of the calcium-alginate films was evaluated. The addition of the NLCs significantly improved the UV-absorbing properties, without greatly altering their trans-parent appearance. As the NLC concentration increased, the tensile strength, elastic modulus, and swelling ratio of the films decreased, while their thermal stability, water vapor permeability, and contact angle increased. Scan-ning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) images of the films revealed that NLC incor-poration led to a more porous internal structure anda rougher surface. Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) analysis indicated that there were no new interactions between the calcium-alginate and NLC constituents within the films. Overall, this study shows that NLCs can be successfully incorporated into calcium-alginate films and used to modulate their physicochemical properties. In future, it will be useful to examine the potential of these films to incorporate hydrophobic bioactives such as drugs, nutraceuticals, antimicrobials, antioxidants, and pig-ments for specific pharmaceutical or food applications. (c) 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.