Probing the role of ginger starch on physicochemical and thermal properties of gum Arabic hybrid biocomposite for food packaging applications

This study assesses the impact of ginger starch (S) on the physicochemical and thermal attributes of gum arabic (GA) hybrid biocomposites for food packaging applications. Two composite blends of GA and S at different GA-S, 29:1 (v/v) and GA-S, 28:2 (v/v) concentrations were developed and examined. Standard techniques were used to analyze moisture content, thickness, transparency, water solubility (WS), water vapor permeability (WVP), tensile strength, elongation at break (EB), surface microstructure, functional groups, and thermal stability of the biocomposite films. The results showed that the film's moisture content, thickness, transparency, tensile strength, and EB increased by 33.4, 47.1, 22.6, 18.8 and 26.6 %, respectively, in GA-S (28:2) compared to GA-S (29:1). Conversely, WS and WVP decreased by 13.0 and 28.6 %, respectively, in the GA-S (28:2) compared to GA-S (29:1) biocomposite film. The biocomposite films' morphology became less smooth with higher starch content. FTIR spectra indicated intermolecular interactions between GA and S, while SEM and thermal analyses (TGA and DSC) confirmed good compatibility and thermal stability. When coated on tomatoes, the GA-S biocomposites improved storage stability for 20 days at 25±2 °C due to reduced lycopene content and low cell wall softening enzyme activity. These results highlight ginger starch's potential to enhance GA films for postharvest tomato storage.