Bilayer Paper‐Gelatin Films With Modified Curcumin for Sustainable Packaging Applications

ABSTRACT Paper is a sustainable, cost‐effective, and versatile material broadly used in packaging applications. However, this material has poor barrier properties to water and oxygen, as well as high water sensitivity, limiting its food packaging application. This research aimed to develop a coated paper with gelatin and gelatin incorporated with modified curcumin and to characterize the main physicochemical properties. The incorporation of gelatin covered the paper pores and increased thickness, grammage, and surface hydrophobicity. Similarly, coated papers had a low water vapor transmission rate (0.05 ± 0.00 g/h m 2 ) and oxygen permeability (2.16–2.40 × 10 −8 × 10 −9 mol μm/m 2 Pa s) compared to uncoated paper. The coatings reduced the stiffness and strength of the paper and increased its elongation at break from 2.67% (uncoated paper) to 6.17%–8.58% (coated papers). Coated paper with curcumin had antioxidant activity, and the presence of gelatin imparted heat‐sealing ability to the paper. This research reports for the first time the production of coated paper materials with improved physicochemical properties for food packaging applications.