Synthesis, characterization, and antimicrobial efficacy of composite films from guar gum/sago starch/whey protein isolate loaded with carvacrol, citral and carvacrol-citral mixture.

The aim of this research was to formulate antimicrobial, composite films of guar gum, sago starch, and whey protein isolate for the prophylaxis of the bacterial gastroenteritis. The model antibacterial agents incorporated were essential oils, namely, carvacrol, citral and their combination. The films became darker and brownish in color due to the entrapment of the oils. The surface of the oil-entrapped films was more rough and coarse compared to the control film. Confocal micrographs affirmed the uniform distribution of the oil droplets within the biopolymeric network. The highest crystallite size and lowest lattice strain were estimated in the citral-containing film. FTIR analysis demonstrated that the incorporation of citral increased the proportion of the β-sheet structures of the whey protein isolate within the film matrix. However, the film formulation containing combination of carvacrol and citral demonstrated the lowest water vapor transmission rate (WVTR), highest tensile strength, Young's modulus and work to failure. All the oil-containing films demonstrated good antibacterial potency against the model bacterial gastroenteritis causing bacteria, namely, Bacillus cereus and Escherichia coli. In gist, it can be concluded that the prepared antimicrobial films could be used for the prophylaxis of the bacterial gastroenteritis.