Whey Protein Concentrate/Isolate Biofunctional Films Modified with Melanin from Watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus ) Seeds

• Published in: Materials Vol. 13; no. 17; p. 3876
• Main Authors: Łopusiewicz, Łukasz, Drozłowska, Emilia, Trocer, Paulina, Kostek, Mateusz, Śliwiński, Mariusz, Henriques, Marta H F, Bartkowiak, Artur, Sobolewski, Peter
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 02-09-2020; MDPI
• Subjects: Antimicrobial agents; Antioxidants; bioactive films; Biocompatibility; Biodegradability; Biomedical materials; Biopolymers; By products; Cell culture; Climate change; Environmental impact; Fatty acids; Food; Food packaging; Food packaging industry; Food processing industry; Fruits; Industrial wastes; Mechanical properties; Melanin; plant residues; Polymerization; Polymers; Potassium; Proteins; Seeds; Sustainability; Toxicity; Water melons; Water vapor; watermelon seeds; Whey; whey protein; Poland; whey protein; watermelon seeds; bioactive films; plant residues; melanin
• ISSN: 1996-1944; 1996-1944
• DOI: 10.3390/ma13173876

Valorization of food industry waste and plant residues represents an attractive path towards obtaining biodegradable materials and achieving "zero waste" goals. Here, melanin was isolated from watermelon (
) seeds and used as a modifier for whey protein concentrate and isolate films (WPC and WPI) at two concentrations (0.1% and 0.5%). The modification with melanin enhanced the ultraviolet (UV) blocking, water vapor barrier, swelling, and mechanical properties of the WPC/WPI films, in addition to affecting the apparent color. The modified WPC/WPI films also exhibited high antioxidant activity, but no cytotoxicity. Overall, the effects were melanin concentration-dependent. Thus, melanin from watermelon seeds can be used as a functional modifier to develop bioactive biopolymer films with good potential to be exploited in food packaging and biomedical applications.